Space Patrol Delta: The Lost Year: Segue
by W. J. Jannston
Summary: One year after Endings, a new group of cadets, C Squad, is approaching the crux of their training. They have the potential. Possibly more so than their famed predecessors. And soon, a twist of fate will lead them into a fight of unimaginable proportions.
1. Chapter 1

_Author's note: this is a story that was rattling around my noggin for quite some time now. I originally wasn't going to bother with it, but whenever I'd write about something else, this story seemed to refuse to be ignored. So I guess I had no choice but to bring these characters to life. But because this is Power Rangers, there's no way I can get royalties off of this. (snicker) But I'll live. _

_It goes without saying that I took some creative liberties with existing characters, technology, and government/military/police structure and workings. I tried to keep this story's spirit true to the Power Rangers mythos and style – as in, I try to avoid gratuitous language and all that gobbledygook. However, things will get very dark with a handful of "graphic moments" very quickly in the upcoming chapters. So be on the alert. _

_So if you're in this, you'll be in this for the long haul, since this will encompass several episodes – and all of my episodes are quite lengthy. I estimate about a chapter per week. That could change, since I almost totally live at school. _

_Enough with the ado. On with the story. So enjoy. Criticisms are always welcome. Please call me on any and all errors!_

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**_Space Patrol Delta: The Lost Year_**

**_Part One: Segue_**

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_**Chapter One**_

Even in the fogged midnight darkness, the young girl spotted the large uneven hole carved into one of the massive metal warehouse doors, the dank stench of stale water still tickling her nose, with only the faint hums and rumbles of sparse traffic rolling along a few blocks away. After spending a frustrated half-an-hour in haphazard pursuit, she shook her head in mild mirth at the idea. The showdown always seemed to end up at a creepy abandoned warehouse. It was her turn to lead the team. And this time, she was going to make sure they were victorious.

She ran to the edge of the hole, pressing her back to the wall with her SPD StunnerMax blaster fully primed and gripped in hand. She risked a peak into the dark warehouse, easing her head around just enough to sneak a glimpse with an eye. With minor annoyance, she pealed back one of her long dark braded pigtails out of the way to offer a clear view.

A lot of good that did her, since she couldn't see more than a couple of meters through the foggy inside, anyway.

She was briefly startled when she heard something twitch near her feet, just as quickly cursing herself as she realized it was the back of her boot nicking the metallic door. She took in a shallow quiet breath. "Come on, Rain," she whispered to herself. "Keep it cool. Freak out _now, _and it's all over, cadet." It was time to call in her _other_ eyes.

She pointed her StunnerMax upwards and keyed the small glow-light on the broad forearm shield; she flicked it on and off several times. Within seconds, a shadowy form raced quietly from the dark alleyway corner and across the pavement, coming to a stop on the other side of the hole in professional technique. Even though the night had made his dark-skinned chiseled features even more opaque, Rain could recognize him by his size alone – tall, arrant, and collected. Kayj, perhaps one of the most diligent people she had ever worked with.

She smiled confidently and nodded to him as Kayj pulled his rectangular SPD tech-badge from his belt and flipped open the palm-sized device. There, Rain could see his forehead crease with concentration beneath his close-shaved hair glowing in the dim orange light from the badge's sensor mode.

Kayj met her stare, slightly wrinkling his broad nose; he shaded his hand over his caterpillar eyebrows and large copper eyes, followed by holding his index finger into the air near his face – not too far from his wide lips.

_So he sees our rogue Ranger_, Rain thought to herself. _And he's alone this time. _She formed an okay with her free hand, looking back into the void where Kayj appeared. She motioned towards the darkness, beckoning to the emptiness. Shadows stirred, and she held out a fist directly away, and then towards Kayj, commanding the team to fall into the wall-pressed formation with both her and Kayj.

First one to her flank was the large-nosed, grim blonde, Cesar. He stood a good head taller than Rain, even though hunched down into formation. She could almost feel Cesar's cold stare as he eyed his leader with great expectation. Apparently, the promise of victory she had made last night was still fresh on his mind.

The second team member darted to Kayj's side, her squat cat-like ears betraying her humanesque silhouette. Lynx coiled down into a crouch, shrinking down to exactly half of Kayj's height. The tallest-and-youngest member next to the smallest-and-oldest. And despite the size difference, Lynx probably had twice the energetic passion for duty as Kayj, even if she lacked his wisdom and foresight. Rain couldn't see it, but she knew Lynx was grinning with the wiry anticipation of a child about to raid a toy store.

And the third…

Rain looked around, searching for Azzy. Several agonizing seconds, and he was nowhere to be seen. _Of all the times to start goofing off_, she silently fumed. She motioned at the shadows again, thinking he might have missed her first signal; she flashed the stunner's light again when he didn't show himself. She glanced back at Cesar; he simply shrugged with disgust, a quick glint reflecting off his keenly azure eyes.

Kayj had his tech-badge out again by the time she turned, his large left eyebrow cocking up with curiosity. He held up two fingers, indicating that two beings were inside instead of the one.

Rain fought the urge to sigh, roll her eyes, and make a fist in frustration. Unfortunately, she lost that tug of war with all three actions. Azzy was always reckless, never taking his work seriously. And now, he had entered the battle theater without consent, and was about to foil her foolproof plan to confront and contain the rogue Ranger.

She had to act quickly if she was going to salvage the situation. She pointed her hand squarely at Kayj and Lynx, moving her hand over her smooth coal-black hair – an order for them to stay and cover their location. She turned slightly and pointed at Cesar behind her, and motioned a fist towards her lower back, ordering him to follow in a wedge formation. Rain caught acknowledgements from everyone as they drew their StunnerMax blasters before she moved into the warehouse with Cesar at her side.

After passing a grated wall barrier that blocked the door, the two cadets slithered their way into what seemed like a large loading area. A few of the low-slung ceiling laps offering just enough to see an obstacle or two to avoid walking into them. But the high ceiling was engulfed in the shadows.

They scouted the edges of the room, looking for evidence of recent visitors. The slung metal supports strewn around the structure, and other metallic shelves and nuances were old and rusted. It wasn't too long when Rain decided that she would have much preferred the air outside to the acrid metallic tang and grease offered inside this particular neglected warehouse.

They had stalked along the edges to the other side of the loading area now, failing to notice any physical signs of recent activities. Cesar holstered his stunner and pulled out his badge, scanning for heat sources. Just as soon as he brought up the protocol, there was a sudden thud near the center of the room, above and just out of sight.

Cesar quickly pointed his badge to the noise's source, followed by the bright search beam of Rain's stunner. Both of them missed whatever it was, neither showing its real form or any heat signatures. And both of their hearts had skipped a couple of beats.

There was another thud in a different part of the ceiling. And then another. Rain didn't let herself believe the noises were natural. Their patterns were erratic, and picking up from light taps to distinct pangs. Something was crawling around up there. The rogue Ranger and Azzy were clearly in here somewhere. And either Azzy was in the process of getting himself captured, or the Ranger had a trap in the works – with Rain and Cesar squarely in the middle.

Two more metallic clunks echoed from opposite corners of the room. Neither the flashlight nor heat betrayed the identity of the sources.

Cesar quickly switched through the sensor modes, going from heat to motion, then to electrical, and then to vibration –

His tech-badge chirped with each found target. "I'm seeing about eleven or twelve possible sources of the noise," Cesar whispered to his partner, his rich British accent still managing to glaze his warning.

"Where?" Rain whispered harshly.

"Everywhere," he whispered back, matching her harsh rasp.

The scuttling continued, growing in number and volume. They resonated off the uneven walls and floor grates, shuffling Rain and Cesar into the center of the room. And with hearty clunks, ten mottled spheres the size of baseballs had bounced onto the floor around them. A flash of indigo luminescence had coalesced into ten distinct humanoid forms; their silver heads glinted off of Rain's light. They had holes where eyes and a mouth would normally be – and two extra on their jaws. Red and white wires ran down their chests and around their waists: the only details etched over an otherwise black and lifeless body. The last noises they made were mechanized _dingk-dingks_.

"Krybots!" Rain spat, realizing that the trap she had suspected had been sprung.

Cesar had his stunner readied before she finished the word.

The krybots circled the two of them at a distance; their footsteps clanged to the floor in perfect harmony. They were thrusting their hands in the air in perfect synchronization as they _dingk-dingked_ again and again.

"Ingress! Ingress!" Rain yelled into her badge. She barely had enough time to return it to her belt before the robotic foot soldiers jumped into the offensive.

Four of the krybots lunged for them. With Rain and Cesar back-to-back, two well-placed blue bolts from each of the stunners were all that they needed to knock the robots out of the air.

Four down, eight to go.

And those eight felt compelled to oblige the challenge and lunge blindly as well.

Rain and Cesar crouched, trading firing directions, tracking each successive shot in almost perfect unison as they downed the rest of the krybots in less than a skipped heartbeat.

Both of their StunnerMax units moaned darkly, telling them that their charges were depleted.

"Out," Cesar reported.

"Same," Rain replied.

Two more krybots had suddenly appeared at the barrier wall near the entrance, nearly on top of both cadets. Before both they could instinctively react, two extra pairs of arms and legs had already made contact, dispatching the offending robots into the shadows.

Kayj and Lynx flashed to their teammates' flanks, ready for the next round.

Rain relinquished a slight smiling sigh when a deep voiced boomed from all directions.

"Impressive, _cadets_," he said, biting into that last word like a curse. The voice sounded too deep to be human, obviously modified to hide the attacker's identity.

Kayj and Cesar were already scanning when Rain demanded, "Where's our fifth teammate?"

There was a slight pause. "Your _fifth_ teammate?" the voice asked thoughtfully. "He's been destroyed. And the four of you will follow him to your demise."

Rain grimaced. Either the rogue Ranger was lying – which seemed very likely – or Azzy had gotten himself caught in record time – which was even _more_ likely.

Both Cesar and Kayj pointed towards a certain area in the air, where the high ceiling disappeared into darkness.

"Lynx," Rain called.

Wordlessly, Lynx drew her StunnerMax and fired one burst into the area with a flash of blue energy. It missed, lighting the area in a dim aura with the silhouette of their target viewable for a split-second – and that was all Lynx needed to connect with the second shot.

The figure stumbled off his metal perch, managing to land gracefully in front of the cadets regardless of the lucky hit.

Rain shined her light on him. A power suit composed of mostly green reflective armoura-flex material, with his signature black number "3" – outlined thinly in white – on the left half of his torso, coupled with the engraved "SPD" plate on his right breast, and the shiny-dog shield facing out on his right shoulder and crowned on his helmet. His white gloves were balled into fists, complimented by the silver ring-cuffs on his wrists; with a matching set at the upper ends of his green boots. He tilted his green helmet down slightly. It was sculpted with a radical mix of curved and angular contours; the imposing black visor, two red light lenses where one's ears would be. Silver belt to match the ring-cuffs – the wide buckle sporting the "SPD" engrave, and endowed with an assortment of malleable weapons encircling his waist.

"We've got you, Green Ranger," Rain said with a sly grin. "You're no match for the four of us. Prepare for containment."

With a scoff, SPD Green simply gave her a two-fingered mock salute –

"Blue heads, six o'clock!" Lynx squeaked.

Rain, Cesar, and Kayj turned to see the next level of krybots standing behind them – six of them. Each with a slightly thicker build than their weaker steel-colored cousins; slated with blue armoring over their chests and shoulders, and their cross-bladed blue heads bobbed with anticipation.

The six blue-headed krybots pointed their arms at the cadets; each limb shaped themselves into deadly focusing dishes.

"Scatter!" Rain yelled just as the krybots opened fire.

All four cadets leaped away from each other with assertive heaves, escaping an explosion of concrete and metal erupting from where they just stood.

Cesar landed in a roll, hurtling himself towards one of the robots in a sprint. He blocked a wide swing to his head with the flat side of his stunner. The robot tried for the other side, but Cesar juked out of the way, and followed up with two left jabs and a cross to the robotic torso, and hauled his stunner up in a devastating haymaker to the plated face, knocking the sparking robot clean off its feet.

Rain and Lynx had landed near each other, but quickly separated as they jumped out of the way of another volley of fire. With Lynx hidden in the shadows, Rain charged towards a robot, using whatever momentum she could build to barrel it over. She winced as her shoulder connected with the hard thing and tumbled over the blue krybot.

Rain rolled over just in time to see the other krybot move into position and point its weapon at her with a satisfying mechanized cackle.

And with a startling hiss from the shadows of the ceiling, Lynx leaped leg-first onto the krybot's chest, nimbly landing on all fours beside Rain after she kicked-flipped from the doomed machine. She produced two thin needled disks from her belt, flicking them into her target's cranium just as quickly, assuring its fate when they roiled with electrical arcs on contact. With a wry wink, Lynx hoisted Rain to her feet with guile ease.

Another blue head had snuck his way behind the girls; but it was quickly lifted out of the way and smashed against the floor headfirst as Cesar executed a wince-inducing backdrop hold. He released the sizzling krybot, popping-up to his feet, and surveyed the damage so far.

"Four down," he said, panting slightly. And then he heard two high-pitched charges behind him, the distinctive sound of the blue head weapons just about to fire. "Oh, blimey…"

But the sounds that followed were two StunnerMax bolts, followed by two clunks of collapsing plastic/metallic heaps.

Kayj walked up to the group, lifting his stunner and cocking an eyebrow. "I believe _that_ makes six blue-heads total."

"Brilliant shot, Kayj," Cesar murmured.

Rain nodded with a thin smile. "Yeah, nice shot."

Kayj lifted a large eyebrow. "Coming from our resident markswoman, that's quite the compliment," he said lightly.

The lights suddenly clicked on a little brighter, offering a much better view around the warehouse; just enough to force a few squints and blinks from the sudden change in brightness. It wasn't any less gloomy, though.

In mid-blink, SPD Green appeared at the far side of the room. He appeared to look around at all the downed krybots, nodding at their accomplishment.

"And playtime is over," he said in his impossibly deep voice –

He charged at the four cadets with inhuman speed. Kayj couldn't even manage one shot before the enemy was on them, forcing each of them onto the floor with four rapid hand strikes.

The surprised cadets scuttled away, stripped of their stunners. The Green Ranger turned, and began a slow stalk towards the nearest member: Rain.

She gritted her teeth, trying to come up with a fast attack quick enough to throw a Ranger off his feet.

The Green Ranger was almost upon her. "You've failed…" he said.

All five of them were taken by surprise when the Green Ranger was peppered with six successive stunner bolts to the chest; he staggered back, yelping in dazed surprise. The cadets traced the origin of the blasts.

Bright brandy eyes under a messy mat of auburn hair, all above a lop-sided grin.

"_Azzy_?" Rain called in disbelief.

The young man furrowed his brows, responding with a slight expectant shake of his head, his hard neck lines becoming a little more taut. "Go, already!"

Cesar recovered first. He popped up, beginning the first in the team's counterattack. He caught the Green Ranger before he rebounded from the stun bolts, getting in six rapid punches to the torso before the Ranger found his groove and blocked the seventh cross. He grabbed Cesar, throwing him aside just in time to meet his arms against Rain's roundhouse kick.

She reversed her direction, quickly ducking into a foot-sweep – she knew he'd hop, so she moved right into a reverse-punch to the mid-section. But SPD Green, unfortunately, knew _she_ was going to throw it. He caught her arm, pulled it hard to near-hyperextension, and shoved her aside squarely onto Cesar with a resounding _oof_ from both cadets.

Kayj was up, brushing off his dark navy blue flak jumpsuit and going right into a meditative stance, bowing his legs and arching his arms as if he was holding an invisible beach ball. Green Ranger regarded Kayj briefly, then charged in for the attack. Kayj's eyes flashed open, catching the first of the Green Ranger's strikes. Kayj led the Ranger's arm around him, dragging the rest of the rogue with it. Kayj switched direction in a smooth arch, disturbing the dance with a violent twist of his arm, sending SPD Green on an assisted spiral to the floor.

But the Ranger was able to land on his feet, facing up at an awkward angle as he still held onto Kayj's arm. And with an impossible twist of his body, he spiraled in place, flinging Kayj to the floor, turning the tables in half-a-heartbeat.

Behind SPD Green was a ghastly hiss; he instinctively dove under a flurry of needled disks, and turned in time to dodge two successive rounded kicks from Lynx. She reversed direction with another duo of hand-stand-assisted kicks. The little cat-girl chased him around the room with acrobatic flare, her crimson-gold hair flowing wildly like a trailing flame. She picked the right moment to leap in for a simultaneous attempt at his head and legs, hoping to land someplace in-between. She did neither as the Ranger leaped backwards with more dexterity than Lynx's heightened senses could gauge.

He caught her foot quite easily; and he drove her back-first onto the hard metal floor. The Green Ranger seemed to recoil a little when Lynx's pitiful child-like yelp echoed through his ears.

With equal feline finesse, Azzy had moved behind the Ranger and made a side hand strike-attempt at his helmet. Amazingly, Green caught the move without the need to turn his head, but Azzy matched his speed by slapping himself free, and shuffling himself in a controlled dance away a few paces as his suited opponent turned to face his next challenger.

SPD Green held out his hand, beckoning Azzy to advance. The eager boy obliged with a yell not too unlike a mischievous monkey claiming his territory. Azzy entered within arm's reach, opening with a couple of kick fakes, and a blazing flurry of seven successful palm-hits to the chest. The Ranger managed to catch Azzy's right arm – the boy slapped himself free with his left. He ducked under Green Ranger's retaliation while delivering a strong blow to the green-and-black abdomen at the same time with an ear piercing, "Wha-_tah_!"

Azzy smiled as his opponent backed away and clearly started to show signs of annoyance. Green Ranger suddenly produced his two-foot long Delta Stick in his next run, slashing downward in what was sure to be a knockout blow. Azzy backed a few steps, holding his right hand behind him, waiting for the right moment to unleash his surprise.

Azzy met the Delta Stick with a roped twist of his wooden nunchaku, deflecting the stick harmlessly away. He gave Green Ranger a quick slap on his rear end with his nunchaku as they passed each other. Azzy danced backwards, flipping the weapon around him hand-to-hand-to-hand, cooing softly to himself.

"Didn't expect _that_ one, did you?" Azzy said, flashing his brown-knitted eyebrows.

The Green Ranger seemed a bit dumfounded for a moment, looking at Azzy and then at his Delta Stick. He shook his head. Azzy couldn't tell if it was in disbelief or in denial.

The other cadets were on their feet now, each in their respective ready positions, and each eyeing Azzy with murder.

Rain risked a glance at the roped sticks in Azzy's tenure. "Those aren't standard SPD issue," she growled.

The boy shrugged, still shuffling from foot-to-foot with his nunchaku ready to fly. "Neither are Lynx's elec-mag shiruken. Can't _always _play it by the book, Rainey. So we thought a little outside the box," he said a little too matter-of-fact.

"It wasn't your bloody plan to modify," Cesar replied stiffly.

"For once, I agree with Cesar," Rain said, keeping her attention on the Green Ranger, ignoring the other's sneer. "You endangered the mission and ruined our element of surprise."

Azzy snickered. "You mean you guys weren't surprised when I saved your butts?"

"_We're_ not the ones who're supposed to be surprised!" Rain shouted. "You could have gotten us all – "

"Maybe I should just leave you five to defeat _yourselves_?" SPD Green said darkly. "Or perhaps I should just finish things up and destroy you all quickly."

"He's got a weapon," Azzy said quietly, still dancing lightly. "That's why I packed mine. _And _that's why I told you all to bring yours."

Kayj hummed thoughtfully. "He makes a valid point. An armed Ranger versus five unarmed cadets is hardly a fair fight. For us, obviously."

Rain grimaced. "But it's _against _the _rules_!"

Lynx produced two kunai knives from her hidden holsters, hunching with mischievous intent. Not exactly standard issue SPD gear either. But they were more concealable than her favorite hand claws she always practiced with. "Rule or no rule – I want to win."

Rain gritted her teeth again. "Fine. Cesar, Kayj, improv. OSP. Lynx. _Azzy_," she called sourly, "keep him busy while we arm up. Go!"

"Right!" her team called out in unison.

"_This_ plan, I can dig!" Azzy crowed charging SPD Green with Lynx close behind.

Green Ranger was ready, opening his posture in a wide-footed stance with his Delta Stick in front for defense. He parried three successive nunchaku swings, and landed a numbing lash across Azzy's back. He further ducked and spun out of Lynx's kunai slashes; blocking one, and brining his Delta Stick down for a sparkling sting on her shoulder blade.

Green Ranger jutted his chin at Azzy attempting to nurse the fiery feeling on his back. "Not so hot now, are you," he challenged.

Azzy was on his side, clenching his fists and arching his back with annoyance. Green Ranger wasn't playing around anymore, laying him and Lynx out so quickly. He wasn't in much pain, but his stunned body didn't want to fully cooperate, refusing to let him stand.

The Green Ranger took several steps towards the cocky boy, readying his Delta Stick for the finishing blow.

But when it came, it was intercepted by a steel pipe – held by Rain.

As their weapons locked, they traded warriors' gazes. In the new light, Green Ranger could see the fire in Rain's large violet eyes. They were made all the larger contrasted against her small nose and mouth. But she couldn't see past her opponent's black visor, but she envisioned the same determination.

Azzy let out a pathetic chuckle. "I guess we're even, Rain."

Rain clenched her weapon, posing to move. "Yeah, _right_!" On that word, she heaved her weight towards the Ranger, making him back off cautiously as he began to assess her new fighting style. She forced him back several more paces with concise – but powerful – downward cuts with the pipe, clutching it as if it were a sword. She tried to wrap her weapon around his several times in an attempt to disarm him, keeping her right leg forward in her advance. She made a final thrusting lunge, knowing full-well that she would be parried. She used her momentum to speed off, making way for –

Right behind her, Cesar sliced his make-shift metal baton towards Green's helmet. Blue flashes dazzled the loading area with each deflected attempt. Green Ranger went on the offensive, causing Cesar to hold the baton against his forearm in defense. He didn't last four blocks before the Green Ranger kicked him off-balance.

Green spun in and connected above Cesar's knees. The tall young man collapsed where he stood as his numbed legs gave way.

Kayj came in twirling another metal pipe about him, feeling the range of his staff weapon would give him an edge. But he decided to wait for the rogue Ranger to come to him. He didn't have to wait long. Kayj's swings were very deliberate and not flashy; but also blocked and deflected, though with surprising effort on Green Ranger's part.

Switching between low, mid, and high targets on the Ranger didn't seem to be doing much other than to keep each other's attention, but Kayj held his ground as he saw Rain coming up quickly behind their target. Just as Rain started a leaping downward cut, Kayj had already fallen back to the floor, cradling his belly.

And in the same movement that took down Kayj, SPD Green continued his inertia and rolled away from the sound of metal crashing against metal as Rain's pipe smacked the floor. He went in for the finish, but hit the pipe instead with an impressive deflection from Rain. She was getting quicker.

The two of them stood for a moment, eyeing each other from twenty strides away. Tiny glimmers of sweat could be seen trickling down Rain's forehead and down her neck. She panted heavily, visibly tired from her theatrics. But her hardened stare didn't show any trace of defeat or fear. Not even the frustrated groans from her downed comrades seemed to affect her.

"You're the only one left," the Green Ranger growled. "Maybe you should consider a tactical retreat."

Rain slowly shook her head. "Never. I promised I'd bring you in. It's all or nothing."

The Green Ranger nodded slightly. His posture slackened, suddenly no longer threatening.

Rain kept her dulled sword up at the ready. Though she fought the sudden temptation to rush him at his dropped guard. He was toying with her for sure, plotting a trap to finish her off in some humiliating fashion.

Green opened up the bottom end of his Delta Stick and collected several tiny somethings from within.

Rain's eyes widened with instant recognition, the mild ivory of her complexion drained. She was familiar with everything the Rangers were equipped with. She was surprised that he'd resort to the mini explosives. Surprised, and suddenly much more apprehensive. She was too far away to get to him in time. A quick glance around the room revealed two dropped StunnerMax blasters behind her. Their charge lights were still blue, which meant they still had power left.

The Green Ranger brought his arm back slowly, almost mockingly. He wound up –

Rain's metal pipe clunked to the floor as she dropped her weapon and lunged herself backwards towards the stunners. She slid on her back with her arms extended just as the little ringlets flew from Green Ranger's fingers. Both of her hands had hit the StunnerMax blasters, and she had them both pointed ahead without so much as a blink.

Rain's eyes widened further, her expression freezing into a disturbingly blank glare. She zoned in on the tiny specks flying towards her. Six of them. They were falling towards her, homing in with every flurried heartbeat.

She pulled the triggers one at a time. Each flash knocked away and disabled one of the specs.

Two. Three. Four. Five. And six.

The second it took to shoot them all down seemed impossibly long. Just as impossible as it seemed to actually have done what she just did. She allowed herself to breath for a moment, accidentally letting herself ponder at her accomplishment – did she really just shoot those nearly invisible pinpricks of light on instinct alone? She didn't aim. She just…

Silence filled the loading area for a breath.

"Unreal," Azzy whispered breathlessly.

Footsteps scuttled closer to Rain.

Green Ranger was coming up fast with the Delta Stick in hand. She took in a breath and rolled backwards into a crouch, pointing both stunners at her mark.

"Please," she pleaded quietly to the stunners. "One last shot." This was it. One well-placed shot just four inches up from the center of his belt and six to the left would cause a mild feedback loop in the power suit's sensor systems and result in a sudden egress de-morph, leaving him powerless and on equal footing with Rain.

That was the sweet spot. The one flaw unique to the Green Ranger's power suit matrix – the one flaw nobody with her lowly rank should have known about. But she did her homework. And this would be her last chance to prove herself.

He was four steps away before she pulled the triggers –

Both stunners flashed –

Both bolts were deflected against the Delta Stick in two harmless directions –

Both stunners moaned –

The Green Ranger loomed over her the instant she realized that she had run out of power. She stared up at that imposing helmet. Tired. Helpless. The skewed angles of the visor seemed to cut into her sense of the unknown. Her thoughts clouded. And before she could even fathom an evasive maneuver, the Delta Stick whirred through the air.

Rain didn't blink. Didn't flinch.

And the Delta Stick stopped just centimeters in front of her – pointing right between her eyes. It hovered there, precise and completely motionless; like it was frozen in time.

She felt the sharp movement of air still moving past the Delta Stick. Then she inhaled sharply as the sudden realization had finally hit her, the wind toppling through her consciousness. And the next thought forced her to fall back onto her bottom.

She had failed.

The Ranger nodded, sheathing his Delta Stick. He turned his head, straining to see something in the shadows. He beckoned someone over.

A new doorway appeared in a wall at the far side of the loading area. Invisible silvery seems traced themselves into two joined rectangular contours before sliding away. A dark silhouette haloed by bright white backlights of some kind emerged from the doorway. It took a few steps inside before holding up its hand.

All the lights in the room hummed on fully, filling every dark nook and cranny with a squint-inducing brightness. The cadets needed a few blinks to see who the newcomer was. And she was expected.

Elegant and tall; and all under a sassily controlled unruliness of lengthy rich russet hair; her porcelain feline ears – same as her creamy skin – perched trough the top of the majestic tangles. Her trim figure showed through her black single-piece work uniform with a stylish matching coat that caped just above the back of her knees. The heal-toe click-clacks of her dark boots echoed off the various metals as she walked inside a little more. Her large arctic-malachite eyes swept over the cadets and the remnants of the broken krybots. She puckered her flush pink lips as she glanced down to her touch-board, entering in some pieces of data. She glanced off to the side one last time, gently caressing her lightly mottled cheeks of tanned spots as she collected her thoughts.

"Not too bad," Kat Manx said, though she couldn't help let some concern slip through. "Much better than your last practical, I think. All right, everybody up."

With collective groans, all the cadets complied. Though, it took them a bit of concentration to fight off the lingering numbness.

Rain was still sitting in disbelief. She was so sure she would succeed this time. She didn't really hear what Doctor Manx had said.

The Green Ranger offered his hand to her. Rain took it unconsciously. And she stood perfectly still, staring into nothing after she was hoisted to her feet.

Azzy coughed. "Why didn't Rain get whacked with the stick?"

"Because she wasn't nearly as incompetent as _you_, half-wit," Cesar chastised.

"Enough," Manx said softly. "Attention."

The cadets – except Rain – hustled in line abreast before Doctor Manx, standing as straight as they could manage. Kayj, Cesar, Azzy, and Lynx. Chests high, shoulders squared, chins up.

"Rain?" Kat said with a hint of austereness.

The young lady shook herself out of her daze, and trotted passed the Green Ranger and next to tall Kayj.

The formation was complete. At least like this, the cadets appeared to be the professional officers they hoped to become one day. Uniformed together in their navy blue training jumpsuits and in near-perfect militant posture. They all were still coming off of their adrenaline highs, and were matted with perspiration – which made them look all the more admirable. Kat Manx reveled in the idea of molding inexperienced young men and women of today into a force to be reckoned with in the future. The journey of the growth was always full of pleasant surprises. And with a group this talented, she had to make sure they went though their growing pains.

Kat showed the hint of a smile, but sighed nonetheless. "Opinions, Officer Boom?"

The Green Ranger strode to her side. He clicked three safety switches at the back of his helmet, emanating an audible hiss. He pulled it off, and brushed a gloved hand through his raised dirty blond hair. He had a charming youthful face, strong and defined, with a hint of roundness on his squared visage that gave him his boyish demeanor.

Boom flashed his thin eyebrows, letting his hazel eyes show through a little more. "Well, they lasted a lot longer this time, I have to say. They got in a few really good hits."

Kat nodded, entering in another piece of data. "Indeed. What did they do right?"

Boom tilted his head a little, pursing his lips into a line. "Well, they tracked me down fairly quickly, for one. And, they're obviously training very hard. They've got some of the most impressive and varied fighting techniques I've seen from any cadet so far."

"Mmm, hmm," Kat agreed, still peering at her touch-board.

"They uh, didn't get in each other's way. They had a couple of smooth attack chains that kept me working. And they um, _improvised _pretty well. They made some interesting uses of the debris around the field."

"On-Sight Procurement," Kat tacked on. "Good."

Boom half-smiled. "That, and a couple of them had snuck in their own weapons that leveled the odds a bit."

That brought a broad smile across Azzy's face, though he still held his pose.

"Yes," Kat said thoughtfully. "But the mission layout for this practical called for standard issued equipment only, so points will have to be deducted." She tapped in more information.

And with that, Azzy's smile quickly faded away. Though Cesar grinned a hair.

"And that leads me to…" Doctor Manx looked at each cadet in turn, her mesmerizing eyes demanding their attention, "What did they do wrong?"

Boom frowned. He didn't like making the cadets feel any worse, but they wouldn't grow unless he gave his expert opinion. "There was a breakdown in command _and _communication as soon as they found my location."

Rain closed her eyes. A breakdown in command. That was the first sting in a sure line of hard lashes.

Boom sighed slightly. "You guys had a few decent attack chains, but it seemed to me that the thought of attacking me . . . _together – _all at once – never came to any of you."

That brought some questionable furrows from the cadets.

"I – I just have to admit that you guys are pretty good. But I was always one step ahead because you kept coming at me one at a time. Maybe if you just coordinated better." Boom shrugged, a little uncomfortable.

"It just all comes down to leadership. Again," Boom continued. He saw Rain droop her head, her loosened strands falling over her face. "The leader failed to rally her team together with a suitable attack strategy against a superiorly-equipped foe. She relied too much on herself, and she trusted her teammates just enough to use them as _decoys_ instead of as partners."

Kat nodded. She stepped towards Rain, standing directly in front of her, staring her down with those piercing emerald eyes. "You lost control of your leadership."

Rain worked her jaw a little – not in frustration or anger, but with nervous despair.

"Why?" Kat pressed. When she said that, her sharpened canines made her appear all the more threatening.

Rain looked down, not sure how to answer. She glanced at Azzy – the obvious kink in the wheel. She wanted to blurt his name out – and she almost did. But she stopped, remembering that no matter what, she was designated the leader this time. It was her turn to lead them. And a leader was always responsible for the team's actions. Always.

She shook her head, "I… I don't know," she said honestly.

Kat studied the amethyst sparkle in Rain's eyes. They glimmered at Kat in the light with traces of welled-up pensiveness. The fire and drive she saw in them before the examination was completely drained. She saw a tired and defeated soul, now. Humility. Tough love was rarely an easy practice. Growing pains.

Kat forced a thin smile. "Good answer."

Rain heard Cesar snicker a little. But she smiled a tiny, tiny bit inwardly as Cesar was silenced by one of Doctor Manx's severe looks.

"You're at a loss right now, Rain, but when you give yourself a chance to settle on the events and look back, you'll figure it out." Kat stepped back, and entered in one last bit of data. "All right. From our assessment, you didn't do too badly on technical merit. But you failed the op. And no matter how stylish you were, a failure is still a failure. All of you perished in this mission, and _I _believe it's because of tension in the team's relationship."

The cadets stirred a little bit, knowing full well she was telling the truth.

"Now, we've had this same discussion four times," Kat continued. "I had assumed you'd be over it by now. It didn't matter who led the team: M'Kayj, Cesar, Asimov, Lynx," she paused for a moment, "or Rain. In each instance, the leader lost control of the team just before facing the main target. And that's a bit troubling. I know you all came to me, asking for _real_ field missions two months ago. But when the game is real, there _is _no second – let alone a fifth – chance."

Kat sighed, inputting a command on her touch-board. In a flash, the dank loading area melted into a smaller venue with lined blue lights arrayed along the walls and ceiling. The transition from a large space to the small holographic simulator training room was always a bit disorienting.

Kat hugged her touch-board. "Commander Cruger will be going over your test scores this afternoon, with a debriefing at thirteen-hundred hours. I trust that you all will be able to give him a good reason for your performance." She scowled a little bit to emphasize her seriousness. "Cadets, will we have this discussion again?"

They answered in unison, "No, Doctor Manx!"

But somehow, Kat doubted that just a little bit. She nodded, anyway. "Good. Because a sixth lecture will probably be your _last_." She let that last word linger a little bit for digestion. "All right, hit the showers. C-Squad, dismissed."

With limp fists, the cadets held their right arms leveled at their chests, thrusting their elbows to the right until their fists met with their breastbones. They turned unenthusiastically towards the exit after their not-so-coordinated salute, and marched out the door in bitter disappointment.

Boom spoke up, "Um, Cadet DuPuma!"

Lynx – the last one out – stopped and turned back to her superior. She didn't dare to break out of attention to move a few tangles of her tawny-crimson hair from her forlorn golden eyes. "Yes, Officer Boom?" Her little voice completed the illusion of her adolescent appearance. She sounded a little younger than she looked – which was young to begin with.

Boom waved a dismissive hand at her. "Oh, at ease, Cadet."

Lynx brought her hands together at the small of her back, relaxing her posture a little bit. She peered up at him curiously.

Boom fumbled for words, always caught off-guard by the deeply colored eyes of the Felis people – Kat _still _had that effect on him. "I uh, I'm… Sorry."

Lynx puckered as she shook her head slightly. "Sorry? About what, sir?"

Boom's lips began to quiver a little bit. "About the uh, the floor. Smashing… Thing…" he said, demonstrating mildly with his helmet, pumping it up and down. He ended abruptly with a chuckled toothy smile. His auburn eyes creased substantially from his schoolboy grin.

Lynx took in a recognizing breath, realizing he referred to his sneaky maneuver of grabbing her by the foot in mid-air and planting her firmly on the ground. But she'd forgotten about that completely; Boom's adorable shyness always made her smile. No matter how many times Doctor Manx or Commander Cruger scolded her that day.

She winked at him as she flashed Boom her own smile – one with cute little fangs not nearly as impressive as Kat's, bit still sharper than the average human. Her red freckled spots running up her cheeks caved in with her dimples. "Sure you are, Officer Boom. I need a shower."

Lynx saluted again, and went on her merry way. There was a noticeable bounce in her step, a dramatic change from just a moment ago.

When she disappeared, Boom let out a hefty sigh. "Best cadets, _ever_, Kat."

That brought a quick bit of recollection. Kat remembered Boom saying that exact thing about two years before. He was her assistant at the time – the gadget tester. And he noticed the potential in the B-Squad cadets back then – the same B-Squad officers who were currently among the most skilled and respected people enlisted in Space Patrol Delta. The same people who had single-handedly saved the world more than a handful of times.

There was equal greatness possible in C-Squad, for sure. Booms saw it then, and he saw it now; and so had Kat.

"You know, Boom," Kat said pertly as a stray thought cut through her reminiscence, "She's too young for you."

Boom turned sharply to her. He went from confused, to ashamed, to upset, to amused – all in an impressive fraction of a second. "You – I – she…" He clutched his helmet and looked around the practice room. "Ha-who? I… I don't know what you're talking about."

"Oh please. Cadet Lynx DuPuma. I've known you since you washed out five years ago. You _like _her."

Boom tried his hardest to give Kat one of the sternest looks of his life. But he only incriminated himself even further. "Now, Kat… I just wanted to ap – apologize," he said, holding his hands out. "She seemed so upset, I wanted to make her feel better. That's all." He shook his head quickly. "That's it."

Kat couldn't help but giggle to herself. Boom raised an eyebrow, thinking it a little out of character for her.

She put a hand on his shoulder. "Boom, I'm only teasing you. You've become an easy target since you put on the green uniform."

Boom smiled back at her, nodding. "Well I… I guess. When was I ever a _hard _target to begin with?" He looked back at the exit. The door was now closed. "But still, Kat... So, you – you really think she's too young for me? Isn't she, um, about twice as old as me?"

Kat threw him a one of her be-careful-what-you-say looks. "It's actually closer to three. But Boom, it'd be like dating a fourteen-year-old. It's still not appropriate."

Boom looked up in disdain at the thought, but then nodded with mild exaggeration as he appeared to actually entertain the idea.

"Boom," Kat warned.

"I'm kidding, I'm kidding." He winked. "So you're allowed to have a sense of humor, but I can't keep mine?"

Kat switched modes on her touch-board, tapping in a rapid sequence of virtual keys on the screen. She pointed the end of her board squarely at Boom, and hit the execution button.

Boom's Power Ranger power suit glowed momentarily before it vanished, evaporating in a sparkled incandescence of whites and greens. But instead of his traditional green-trimmed base/field uniform, he was left standing in nothing but his boxer-briefs. In an instant, Boom had hunched over and tried to vainly cover his pride.

"Kat!" he squeaked. "This isn't funny…"

Kat frowned at first, then smiled at the comedic scene, but then she nodded to him.

"You've been working out," she admitted coyly, remembering the mild bulges and pudginess that used to be signature Boom only a year ago. When the position for SPD Green opened up, he had trained himself night and day near to the point of total exhaustion. Weight training, martial arts, torturous dieting, B-Squad education, and D-Squad basic – and A-Squad advanced – training… And half-a-year ago, Commander Cruger gave Boom the chance to fulfill his childhood dreams of becoming a Power Ranger. And looking at him now, he certainly trained his body and mind as the trim fit fighter worthy of the right of being called just that, even though his heart was already there long before then.

"And green hearts," she said, clearly just patronizing his situation. "I had a feeling you'd be a briefs guy."

Boom's entire body blushed several shades. He pawed around himself, not sure what to do or say. Though he thought he was beyond this kind of embarrassment after he graduated from Chief Gadget Tester to the Green Ranger. "It's uh… Kind of hard to um… To kick things… In boxers… And, uh –"

Kat turned and headed out the door and into the sterile white-silver corridors of Delta Base. She covered her mouth, unable to stop the sudden attack of laugher riling up.

Boom was about to chase after her, but stopped just short of the door. "Kat! I was only kidding! Kat!"

He turned and headed back into the room before any of the cadets or other personnel saw him. He frantically searched the ground for his SPD Morpher. "Note to self, dress first after bed, _then _morph for training. I _knew _I should have went with the others on that investigation today… Ah, _there _you are!"

Boom still had his own growing pains to deal with.


	2. Chapter 2

**_Chapter Two_**

* * *

"Man, this bites it," Azzy said, moping on one of the soft couches in the middle of the Delta Base Recreation Center. Fresh from the shower, he left the jacket of his smoke-black uniform open, exposing a wrinkled gray undershirt.

The mid-afternoon daylight had filled the spacious room with its warm rays. Through the angled windows lining the far wall, the cityscape gleamed under a cloudless azure sky. The alabaster New Tech City Observation Tower – which resembled Seattle's old Space Needle – could be seen easily from that prime spot in the Delta Base, despite the other tall skyscrapers, air traffic, and hovering billboards. And the cadets usually enjoyed having a meal overlooking the bustling skyline before winding down. It was a simple pleasure for them. And unfortunately, it wouldn't be enough to lift the spirits of glum cadets.

Azzy scoffed, dejectedly fingering and inspecting a set of his wooden nunchaku. "I can't believe Doctor Manx took points away for bringing extra protection."

Cesar was just across from him, pummeling out his frustrations on a hanging punching bag. His own jacket and undershirt were removed completely, leaving him in a dark tank top. His thick biceps, triceps, and all the other toned musculature of his arms bulged and pumped with each blow.

"It was clear in the briefing that you weren't allowed," Cesar rumbled before rapping off a quick ten-punch flurry. "So stop whining. And a lot of good it did you, anyway."

Azzy perked up to the challenge. "Hey, you shut up. At least I wasn't the one trying to order the team leader around."

Cesar kept his attention on the bag. "And you think _I_ was?"

"If the glass slipper fits, Princess."

"You think you're clever," Cesar said darkly. He wound up and followed through with a crushing smash that left a deep fist-size crater in the poor punching bag. He sighed as his muscles cooled; he overtly stretched his arms; flat bushes of blond hair rustled under each. He leaned on the bag with his sweaty arms crossed, locking a condescending glare at Azzy.

"Don't be so daft. I don't know what gave you _that_ preposterous idea," Cesar said. "And I'm surprised you could even form an opinion. _I_, at least, actually stayed _with _the bloody team. That's better than running around like a nitwit, completely and utterly ruining our strategy."

Azzy held the glare for a moment. He gripped his nunchaku tightly as he tried to think of a snappy comeback. He knew that Cesar had no idea what he was talking about, but the muscular man was evidently much better with words than Azzy cared. And instead of getting into a fight of wits, Azzy just huffed up from the couch and started towards the food dispenser.

"Whatever," the smaller rumbled.

Cesar smirked at Azzy's back. It wasn't hard to put the cocky kid in his place when he knew he made such obvious mistakes. But Cesar enjoyed victory, no matter how small. He returned to the bag, dicing up a couple of new combos.

Azzy brushed passed a couple of the other light-gray-uniformed personnel, trainees, and lower-ranked cadets on his way to get a snack. There was a trifling murmur from the ones watching the large television adjacent the dispenser. A couple of them – ones with aqua-colored skin and limbs that looked like periscopes poking out of their bald heads – clapped with delight when some older guy named Dustin Brooks landed some death-defying stunt.

Azzy didn't pay much attention. He hated motocross.

He selected a cream cheese bagel from the selection on the dispenser's screen. It hummed for a few seconds as it prepped, and it slid opened with a ding. Azzy hooked his nunchaku on his belt by his badge before taking his paper plate and turning for a table.

He looked at Cesar, still working on the bag. _Stupid, meathead, _he thought.

Passed Cesar, near the corner, Azzy noticed a dressed-down, dark-skinned Kayj practicing what looked like tai chi; but it was a form Azzy didn't recognize. Behind Kayj were about six other young trainees, trying to mimic his leisure and gracefully melodic movements.

Azzy meandered to him with the bagel in hand.

"Dude, you need another shower," he said as he brushed by the slightly bewildered Cesar.

"Haven't taken my first one yet, mate."

That made Azzy stop for a second, but then he just kept walking, pretending he didn't hear anything about his partner's hygienic issues.

Azzy leaned against the wall as he crunched a creamy bite and watched Kayj and the group in action. Azzy always appreciated the art of tai chi, more so if the group of people executed a form in perfect harmony. And almost laughably, this particular novice group was doing the art a great deal of disrespect.

But Kayj was flawless – as far as Azzy could tell. Kayj knew exactly when to breath, his body and limbs as limp as leaves in the wind.

Kayj kept his eyes closed as he continued. "Care to join, Asimov?"

Azzy swallowed. "Nah. Not really in the mood."

"Then now's the perfect time to exercise and cleanse your inner kreh," Kayj replied attentively; his voice, rich with a resonating bass. "Yours and Cesar's seem to be particularly agitated."

"My _chi _is just fine," Azzy said lightly. "But I don't think there's any hope for the smelly princess over there."

The only sounds Cesar made were the smacks of flesh against cushioned nylon – and one extra hard one with a grunt that was directed in Azzy's direction.

Kayj shifted to a strange set of poses involving garish arm movements and one foot off the mat.

Azzy frowned. "That's the Yang style of the crane, mixed with one of your Sandanian forms, right?"

"Yes. The lan-caht – feline equivalent." Kayj was pleasantly proud of Azzy's observation. "Your tai chi and Sandan's pwa'feh are very similar." He gracefully shifted onto his other foot. "The results of combining both arts feel . . . _emboldening_ to my inner kreh."

"I'll assume that's a good thing," Azzy said, taking another large bite.

Kayj faltered almost imperceptibly as he let out a slight chuckle. "Yes. It is. Both arts exercise the strength and control of one's kreh. I find it amazing how two worlds so far apart can still hold meaningful commonalities."

"Right. Even though the people of Sandan are basically human, anyway. Except for your freaky eyebrows."

"I like my eyebrows," Kayj muttered jovially.

Taking another bite, Azzy still couldn't imagine having two fuzzy – and rather broad – eyebrows on his own forehead. They almost looked pasted on Kayj's mug. Even though he was sort of used to looking at them, Azzy still couldn't resist thinking about the temptation of sneak up on Kayj and ripping those fake-looking suckers off. Of course, he'd never actually do that since they were quite real.

"I bet you're just beating all the ladies away because of 'em."

"Actually, that's why I haven't gone back to Sandan." Kayj opened an eye in a reverse-wink. "I wouldn't stand a chance until I become a Ranger."

Wasn't a funny joke, but Azzy smirked just because of the effort. "Oh yeah. Right. Just forget the endless deserts and insanely dry heat."

"Yes. Our women do have that effect."

Azzy snorted unexpectedly. Again, it wasn't very funny. But for some reason, the joke got to him.

"My good kreh is overpowering your bad," Kayj explained.

Azzy shook his head. "Kayj, stop doing that. It's bad enough Lieutenant Carson freaks us out with his weirdo physic powers." But he knew Kayj was right in one respect. He _had_ loosened up a little bit.

"My only '_wierdo power_' is the power of observation. And common sense."

Azzy looked over at the main entrance just as Rain glided through the door.

Even at a glance, her base uniform was crisp and wrinkle-free. It sported the same smoky-gray, black-trimmed motif as the guys'. It had the same half-star triangular design on the chest; the "SPD" engraved bar on the left side of her collarbone; and the SPD shiny-dog shield on the right, closer to her shoulder; same belt, tech-badge with holster, and boots. Same white delta-triangle patch facing out on her left shoulder displaying the same rank as her four other peers: "Rank II Cadet, C-Squad". The first obvious uniform difference was the jacket piece itself, which didn't have a front zipper; and the collar – which joined a little further down the sternum instead of at the neckline. And of course, the second difference was the addition of a gray-matching skirt over the black-trimmed slacks. But like the guys', her uniform hugged her built, and somewhat shapely, figure right down to the last curve.

She had stopped and glanced around – hitting Azzy square in the eyes – for only a moment before moving purposefully to the snack dispenser. Her two braided obsidian ponytails rocked behind her head just below her shoulders. Rain had impatiently punched in her selection and grabbed her bit of lunch in a visible fit. She stayed near the dispenser, sitting herself at the tiny soda bar nook just to its left.

Not even so much as a nod to any of her teammates. She probably wouldn't have even visited the rec. center if she weren't hungry.

"She's upset," Kayj said, undulating in a wide-set bear-like style. Though his eyes were still closed. "Might do well to apologize."

It took Azzy a second. "What, you mean _me_?"

Azzy sighed, refusing to feel responsible for the whole ordeal. He was upset about the results, too. But the end would have been the same, regardless of his creative indulgences. The fact that he tried something different just made him the easy blame. It wasn't _his _problem.

He opened his mouth to explain his position –

Kayj spoke first, "The outcome of our mission would have ended in failure, regardless of your shenanigans."

Azzy's mouth was still open. If Kayj didn't have any powers, how did he do that?

"Common sense," he added.

The young boy didn't close his mouth until it met his bagel for another bite. He's seen it time and time again, yet Azzy was still amazed by Kayj's perception of things.

"He's right, mate," said Cesar, resting against the wall next to Azzy. "Though I still think this mess is _your _fault, your apology would go a long way towards fixing our um . . . 'team issues'."

Azzy regarded Cesar suspiciously; a spec of crumbs crumbled off the corners of his lips, his mouth still a little full. "Since when have you started caring about how the rest of us feel?"

"Since Doctor Manx threatened us with a discharge," Cesar said with legitimate concern. "Even though she didn't actually _say _it." He began to mat his arms down a little with the towel on his shoulder. He ignored the fact that Azzy was wrinkling his nose.

Cesar continued, "I've been giving it a lot of thought, and I'm willing to look past your ignorance in exchange for the chance of taking B-Squad's place a few years from now."

Azzy rolled his eyes, looking back at Rain sulking over her food. "You're too kind, princess."

Cesar growled. "Would you _stop_ calling me that?"

Azzy shrugged. "I've been calling you that all year. Why would I stop now?"

"It makes you sound like a simpleton."

Azzy shrugged, downing the last morsel of his bagel. "You know me. I'm a simple guy."

The larger man sighed, "This is why nobody likes you, nitwit."

Azzy smiled slightly. "Likewise."

All insults aside, maybe they were right. Maybe if he just sucked it up and apologized, it would be the start of something. But at the same time, it'd just be a bandage over the real problem. It wasn't directly his fault, and yet Kayj and Cesar were asking him to take the blame for it just to appease someone else's misplaced grievances.

"I've known you guys for almost a year," Azzy said. "We've always had our own way of doing things. But I never had to apologize for something I know wasn't my fault. And neither have any of you."

Cesar slapped Azzy on the shoulder. "It's called being a man, mate. Something you know nothing about. Sometimes we men have to do the _necessary_ things in life, whether we want to do them or not."

Azzy rubbed his shoulder, briefly tossing Cesar an irritated look.

"And if you want to start saving the bloomin' world, you'll need to grow up first."

Kayj had appeared near the two young men now, apparently finished with his lesson for the trainees. He had his jacket slung over his shoulder.

"Cesar speaks words worth listening to, Asimov."

Azzy traded looks between Kayj and Cesar. They were looking down on him expectantly, as if they thought being taller than Azzy would intimidate him. "Would you two stop ganging up on me? I'm _not_ going to apologize, and that's it. If Rain's teed off over something stupid, she needs to work through it herself. I'm not going to turn myself into uh, uh…" He fidgeted over the word he was looking for, "_scapegoat._ I'm not gonna play the scapegoat whenever you guys want me to. I didn't join SPD to start that game over again."

Kayj pressed his lips together. "Asimov . . ."

Before he could finish his thought, two more people trotted into the rec. center. The first to enter was the small, but energetic, Lynx. She, too, had her supple base uniform impeccably detailed. But the girl walking next to her wasn't so recognizable.

The mystery woman's head poked over Lynx. Her golden-blond hair had been styled in wavy curtains down to her shoulders; rose highlights exotically striated small areas of her hair. She turned her head slightly. Her face was smooth and rounded with naturally puckered lips, and a very slight up-tilt of her nose amidst her subtly milky complexion. When Lynx walked ahead of her, the guys could see the young woman sporting a similar black garb as Doctor Manx, but with a more traditional, less elegant, black lab jacket.

And also unlike Doctor Manx, this woman had a rank patch on her left shoulder, but it wasn't a delta. It more resembled two abstract wings; almost angelic, but still distinctly militant. She was too far away to see her rank level.

Azzy jutted his chin at her. "Who's that?"

"That is Chief Technical Sophie Fauster, if I'm not mistaken."

Azzy squinted in confusion. "Chief Technical? Isn't that Doctor Manx's position?"

Kayj nodded. "Indeed."

"But how do you –"

"She was on the arrival manifest this morning," Kayj interrupted. He returned a wave after Lynx had flagged him a hello.

Lynx eagerly took the newcomer by the arm and escorted her over to the boys. She smiled tightly at them.

"You seem happy," Cesar remarked a little curtly.

"Guys," Lynx started, "This is Sophie. Sophie, these are the guys."

The young woman nodded, trying her best not to seem uncomfortable.

Up-close, Sophie's impossibly flawless features seemed even more so. Not a single blemish or imperfection to be seen. Her rounded bronze eyes and all of her facial features were perfectly symmetrical. Azzy attributed her faultless appearance to really, _really_ good genetics.

Lynx began to point at each of her teammates. "This is Kayj. And that's Azzy. And the stinky-sweaty guy over there is Cesar!"

Sophie stifled a small chuckle as Cesar stopped himself from saying something rude.

Though Azzy couldn't resist, "Maybe I should start calling you Smelly."

"And maybe _I _should start calling you Fat-Lip," Cesar whispered, raising a fist.

Kayj took Sophie's hand – he immediately noticed the slight chill of her skin. But he didn't give it much more thought other than shy nerves. He raised her hand level to his eyes, then touched it to his forehead. "M'Kayj of Family Len-Karrak, East Nation of Sandan. Honored to have your acquaintance, Sophie Fauster."

Sophie smiled at him with appreciation when he let go.

"She just arrived this morning from Mariner Bay," Lynx said before Sophie could speak. "She's waiting for Captain Tate and the others to return from their investigation, so she wanted to meet _us_ – _C-Squad_," she said with pride, "So here we are."

Azzy crossed his arms, smiling warmly. "Yeah, great to meet you, uh, Miss – er, Fauster, ma'am."

Sophie nodded to him. "_Sophie_ will do, Azzy. I'm not a big formalities person." Her voice had a resilient strength underlying its smooth edge.

"Sure, sure," Azzy agreed. "So, you're Chief Technical, huh? Did ah, Doctor Manx call in for a cute replacement?"

Sophie returned the charm. "Not quite a replacement. More of an assistant. I just came from an unofficial transfer to the Mariner Bay annex to check on the final overhauls to Doctor Manx's Delta Runners. Spent about two weeks there." She oriented her shoulder to show her angelic rank patch. "I was Chief Technical at SPT Headquarters. Not at Mariner, and certainly, not _here_."

"Ah," Kayj crooned. He had noticed the SPT engraved bar near her left collarbone as soon as she walked in. "And the Mariner Bay facility let you keep your SPT credentials on your person?"

Sophie glanced down at her engrave and patch. "Yeah," she chuckle. "Actually, they weren't very big on formalities, either. Very laid back when it came to dressing for work. And it's not every day someone walks around in this galaxy having anything to do with SPT."

Azzy couldn't take it anymore. "Um… S-P-_T_?"

"Space Patrol Theta," Kayj nodded. "You came all the way from the Andromeda Galaxy. That's quite a trip. About two-and-a-bit months one-way at hyper-rush cruise."

Sophie smiled again. "Not many people around here are familiar with extra-galactic affairs. I'm impressed with your friends, Lynx."

The little girl beamed. "I'm glad you like them!"

Azzy blinked. "Oh right. Yeah. Space Patrol _Theta_. How've they been?" He knew he wasn't really fooling anyone, but he tried nonetheless.

Sophie was more than happy to explain, regardless. "Theta's a brand new SP branch. They're the fourth branch to go active in the Andromeda Galaxy. I can't really say too much about it, but SPD's presence was basically there to ease a couple of the genesis planets into operation. And coincidently enough, the other three branches in Andromeda were experimenting with a galaxy-wide network integration system. All four Andromeda branches – the whole galaxy defense – is intertwined into one collaborated unit, now." Sophie nodded, more to herself than to her listeners. "And I was lucky enough to contribute to it."

"Galactic collaboration. Similar to Space Patrol GalactiCore in the Milky Way?" Kayj offered.

Sophie nodded slightly. "Kind of, but Andromeda doesn't have a single centralized galactic headquarters like we do. All four quadrant branches – Epsilon, Zeta, Eta, Theta – act as one without the need for a separate bureaucracy. It's all done through a sophisticated high speed redundant net. First of its kind. The goings-on of one area of the galaxy can be witnessed nearly instantaneously from the other side. That way, Andromeda will always be aware of galactic threats, and prepare accordingly."

Sophie crossed her arms. "The whole thing was a bit dicey to start, but I think they're going in the right direction."

Azzy hummed in feigned fascination. It was all way above his head, but he tried to be kind. "No kidding? And _you_ were responsible for all that?"

"Well, not _all_ by myself. But I had a certain amount of influence that led to some good ideas."

Azzy rubbed his chin. "So why'd you leave? You sound pretty important to them."

Sophie shrugged. "They didn't really need me anymore when I left. They have a thousand other brilliant Chief Technicals working on it, so I wanted to come back and re-establish myself here at SPD, Earth."

Cesar hunched a little closer. "So you originally started right _here_?"

The young woman nodded. "Yep. A little more than a year-and-a-half ago. Started as a D-level trainee."

"Whoa, whoa… Hold on a second," Azzy said with actual interest. "You started as a D-level newbie. And then you found yourself in another galaxy setting up a brand new SPD?"

"Tee," Sophie corrected. "S-P-_T_. Space Patrol _Theta_."

"Right, right. SPT, SPT… But what happened in-between all that? I mean, you look um, _young_. The enlist age for basic training is what, sixteen, right?"

Sophie's smile vanished. "It's um… A bit complicated. And sorry for being a bit frank, but I'd rather not get into it at the moment."

"But this is a little confusing for me. How did – "

Cesar sighed loudly. He grabbed Azzy into a loose, but stern headlock, shutting up the chatty boy. "I apologize about our resident nitwit here. Apparently, he doesn't know when to stop talking."

"Ce – Cesar! Let me go…"

"You see, mate? _I _apologized for _your _bugger-up. Like a real bloke should."

"Whatever you say, Smelly," Azzy retorted, trying to pull himself free. "Ow! Smelly scapegoating princess!"

Sophie rested her hands on her hips. She wondered if it was too late to take back her comment about being impressed with these cadets. "Are those two _always _like that?" she asked Lynx and Kayj quietly.

Kayj shook his head. "Not really. You've actually caught them on a good day."

Lynx chuckled. "Yeah, those two knuckleheads can be real idiots sometimes."

Sophie wasn't all that amused.

"All right, all right!" Azzy relented. "I'll apologize to her if you'd just . . . _put _me _down_!"

Cesar obliged with a simple release of his arm, dropping the smaller on his feet.

Azzy straightened his open jacket, coughing a couple of times before nursing his neck. "Jeeze. You could have snapped something. Brutal…"

"Don't think I wasn't tempted."

Sophie shook her head. "You're an animated bunch, aren't you? Anyway, you don't need to apologize to me. I've been insulted by higher ranks."

Cesar cleared his throat. "I was actually referring to," he pointed past everybody to Rain, "her."

"Oh?" Sophie followed his finger, spotting the young girl near the soda bar, throwing something away in the waste disposal chute.

Rain had noticed her fellow cadets crowded near the newcomer, though she didn't hide her hesitation to join them.

Lynx waved wildly to Rain, almost purring as she beckoned forth. "Rainey! Come meet our new friend!"

Rain glanced away a few times, but she reluctantly made her way towards the group.

"She seems a bit shy," Sophie said.

"We just had a," Azzy paused for a moment, "a rough day in the sim."

Sophie smiled to herself. Slowly, the puzzle pieces were fitting together.

Rain stopped just short of the group. With everyone staring at her, she suddenly had the strange feeling of being on the front end of an intervention. "Hello," she said, not totally covering up her ill feelings.

"Um, 'Rainey', was it?" asked Sophie.

Azzy snorted, only to be elbowed in the chest by Cesar.

"Rain," the other replied kindly. "Rain Melbourne." She offered her hand.

Sophie took it as she regarded the young cadet.

Rain shivered ever so slightly from Sophie's cool grip. She wondered if her own hand felt clammy.

"You have beautiful eyes," Sophie said. "I haven't seen too many purple eyes."

An odd thing to say, but it wasn't the first Rain had been complimented. "Thank you. My mom's side."

"She must be very pretty."

Rain's smile faded slowly, but it didn't completely disappear. "Yeah. Yeah, she was."

That twinge of awkwardness caused everyone to shuffle around. There was a moment of thorny silence – save for the television and a smooth Caribbean beat on the sat-radio – before Lynx said something.

"Would you mind telling us a little more about the Theta project, Sophie?" she asked, trying to change the subject.

There was a sudden catch in Rain's eyes. Something clicked in her mind. She pointed at Sophie. "Hey… You're Sophie Fauster, aren't you?"

Clearly, everyone was taken by surprise, including Sophie.

"You know her?" Azzy asked.

"_Everybody _should," Rain said. "I heard Doctor Manx talk about you. You were the one who helped her bring the Delta Base Defense System online for the first time." Rain smiled, wide and bright, for the first time today, completely forgetting the previous comment. "I never thought I'd have the chance to meet you in person."

Sophie looked back at the group; they all shrugged.

"Oh come on," Rain demanded. "Didn't any of you actually _read _the extra credit archive assignments?"

Again, they all shrugged.

"Oh Kayj," she said, dripping with disappointment. "I thought you of all people…"

"I'm not a computer, Rain. It's not in my nature to be perfect."

"Not even computers are perfect," Sophie said offhandedly.

Kayj raised a wide eyebrow. "Hmm?"

"Never mind," said Sophie with a wave of her hand. "Was there anything else in that archive?" she asked Rain. "Or anything else about me Doctor Manx might have mentioned?"

Rain squinted suspiciously at her, then smiled a little after giving it some thought. "Not really. I read that you were commissioned with D-Squad at the start of 2025. You helped bring the DBDS online in May of that year, and transferred to a position in the Theta Quadrant, Andromeda. That's about it."

Azzy huffed. "I find that amazing. From the bottom to the top."

Rain craned her head passed Sophie to peer over at the kink in the wheel. "It's because she's _smart_, Azzy. When SPD recognizes a gift, they make sure your talent can shine. You could probably stand to take a lesson. Or six."

Sophie closed her eyes, bemused by the thought of being held in such high regards.

Azzy, on the other hand, sighed. "Ceaz, Kayj, I take it all back. I'm _not _doing it."

"I hope you don't mind," Rain said, "but I've got a few questions to ask you. I mean, if you wouldn't mind giving advice."

Sophie offered a meager smile, not sure how she was going to decline without seeming uncaring.

The entrance opened up again; Officer Boom rushed into the rec. center, spinning around at least twice before he spotted the snack dispenser. He dashed over, nearly knocking a trainee over so he could get to the dispenser first.

C-Squad and Sophie were quiet, watching their senior in action. He waited in front of the machine for a moment; then he slapped it a few times before it gave him his blueberry muffin. He whirled around and shuffled towards the door before Sophie caught his eye. He stopped in mid sprint with the muffin stuffed partly into his mouth.

Sophie glared at him with controlled astonishment. His uniform resembled C-Squad's quite a bit – only the black trim that slid along the sleeves, pants, and jacket was a brilliant green. Sophie politely stepped passed Rain and inspected his delta patch: "Rank III Officer, B-Squad Ranger".

Boom equally sized Sophie up, though with his wide eyes, he looked more like he was about to be run over by a zord.

"Boom?" Sophie asked, letting her perfectly pearled teeth gleam in her smile.

Boom snatched the muffin from his mouth, slowly chewing on what stayed inside. "Sophie?" he asked, muffled and spitting crumbs.

Sophie went in for a brief hug, with Boom looking more than a little overwhelmed.

"Sophie!" Boom said, finally swallowing his food. "I heard you were coming today! You changed your hair! It-it looks fantastic!"

Sophie fingered her wavy golden-rose locks. "Yeah. A little bit. But _you, _Mr. Green Ranger, you look _great_," she marveled, patting him on the flat belly. "Congratulations on your promotion."

Boom blushed a little, looking in every direction except in Sophie's eyes. "You, uh, you look great, too." He gesticulated about, unconsciously patting _her _stomach in retaliation. But then he quickly realized what he was doing and recoiled with Ranger-like speed. "Oh, sorry. Sorry…"

Sophie looked a bit puzzled, but then broke into an easy chuckle, as did the entirety of C-Squad.

"The Casanova of SPD," Azzy murmured.

"Boom is _so _cute when he talks to girls," Lynx squealed.

After an uneasy cackle, Boom cleared his throat. "Oh, um, the rest of B-Squad just returned from their investigation. They're looking forward to seeing you again."

Sophie let out a buoyant sigh. She was very glad to have returned. On her trip to Earth, she felt as if she was leaving a good thing behind at SPT. But she felt that something special was going to come of her move back to Earth.

She turned back to the others. "Well, it was great to meet the infamous C-Squad. I'll be seeing you all around. And good luck with your training."

Boom suddenly realized that indeed, C-Squad was huddled right there in front of him. He waved bashfully. "Hey, guys."

The cadets simultaneously shot Officer Boom one of the sharpest, well-executed salutes they've done in a while.

Taken aback, Boom quickly returned the salute with his muffin in grip – not nearly as precise.

"S-sorry, guys," he said quickly. "Just a little busy with, um…" Boom held up his muffin, then casually pointing towards Sophie. "And um… Just, keep up the good work, cadets!"

Azzy's voice was down to almost a whisper. "_Good work_? Wasn't he there when he failed us –"

"Shhh," Cesar spat.

Boom and Sophie strode out the rec. room. "So Bridge is a _lieutenant_, now?" That was the last of Sophie the cadets heard before the doors closed.

"Unbelievable," Azzy roared. "I can't believe the big-blue-dog made that bumbling goof a Ranger."

Lynx stepped right in front of Azzy, poking him hard in the chest with a not-so-friendly scowl. "_You're _one to talk. You leave him alone. Officer Boom's a great guy. He's sweet, funny, and he's _always_ there for us."

Azzy held his hands up – the left one still holding onto his empty paper plate. "Hey, now. I don't doubt he's a 'great guy'. It's just that, he –"

"He helped B-Squad save the world when it counted," Rain finished. "He's not the sharpest tool in the shed, but he more than makes up for it with his dedication. He loves his squad mates, and everyone in SPD. We're like his family. The _last _thing he'd ever do is disregard or trivialize us."

Cesar lifted an arm over Azzy's head, resting himself on the wall. He always talked about being manly. Well, he certainly smelled that way. "He follows orders, and never gets his squad into trouble. He bloomin' gives a hundred-an-fifty percent in everything he does. Never selfish. Always does what a man should."

"And his soul is as old as time itself," Kayj chimed in. "He's a novice articulate, but a master of wisdom. Humble and always able to laugh at himself, he's the shining example of what is wonderful about humanity. He listens first, and talks second…"

Azzy looked at each of his teammates. He was trapped against the wall; completely defenseless against their guilt-trip onslaught.

Rain was right about the intervention. Only, it wasn't her on the receiving end.

"All right, all right, all right!" Azzy fumed. "_Man_, what is this? Pick-on-Asimov Day?"

"Yes!" they all blurted loudly, visibly startling the boy.

Azzy looked around, eyeing each of his partners with defiance. Lynx, Kayj, Cesar, and...

Rain.

Unlike the others, Rain didn't stare him down with contempt or condemnation. She was somber, soft. It was as if she didn't expect Azzy to understand anything they were trying to tell him. But he understood. All too well. He simply didn't want to admit it. But now, he really had no choice if he was going to break free to use the restroom.

He locked his brandy eyes on Rain's amethyst. And surprisingly, he felt the need to be sincere. "Rain. Look… I'm," he appeared to fight with the next word, "_sorry_… Sorry about earlier today."

Rain began to grin.

"Even though we would have failed anyway," he added quickly, "I still shouldn't have been such uh… A headache. Sorry, and it won't happen again." He looked back at everyone else. "Under _anyone's _command."

"All right, good enough for me," Cesar said, backing off.

Lynx poked Azzy one last time. "You'd better keep to you word, _Taggert_. Or _else_."

Azzy arched his eyebrows. "Yes, grandma!"

Lynx peered up at him with beady little eyes of gold. She stuck her tongue out before trotting towards the soda bar.

Kayj bowed slightly. "Your kreh is cleansed, my poignant friend."

When they were alone, Rain continued to stare at him, her cheap little grin not budging either way.

"So, are we cool?" Azzy asked. He held up his right fist expectantly.

"You apologized," Rain teased.

Azzy rolled his eyes. "Yes, I did. Ninth world wonder…"

"You've never done that before."

"Want me to take it back?"

Rain shook her head slightly, still grinning. "I think after all this time, we're finally starting to bond . . . or something."

Azzy sighed. "Come on. We cool or not?"

She nodded, making a fist of her own. "For now." Both fists met each other in a punch of mutual respect. "I guess now's the part when C-Squad makes a miraculous comeback, dazzling Commander Cruger, Doctor Manx, and B-Squad with our accomplishments, maybe nabbing us some actual field investigations."

Kat's voice echoed through the rec. room over the PA system, "C-Squad, report to the Command Center. Repeat, C-Squad to the Command Center."

Azzy winked at Rain. "Kayj is always full of surprises. Think he can pluck a miracle from those eyebrows?"

Kayj and Lynx had already rushed from the rec. room. Cesar was about halfway out the door with his jacket halfway on. "Rain, Nitwit, get a move on."

Rain and Azzy nodded to each other, following Cesar into the busy corridors of Delta Base. Of course, they wondered how much worse they were about to feel once Commander Cruger tore into their simulation performance.


	3. Chapter 3

**_Chapter Three_**

* * *

Doctor Kat Manx indulgently tapped in the final finishing touches on tomorrow's presentation at the holographic console in the center of the Delta Base Command Center. She executed the save-and-sleep command so that no one could get a spoiled peak before hand.

She glanced up from the terminal, gazing around the "brain" of Delta Base. The command room was arrayed in a spacious rounded octagonal design. Six of the eight walls were endowed with computer alcoves and terminals; each one specialized for various tasks, and branded above with giant royal blue "SPD" light fixtures. The buttons of green-and-blues, and flat screens of streaming maps and text, shined brightly through the dim cobalt glow that gave the Command Center its complacent, but at the same time, intimidating allure.

Kat smiled towards a cluster of five young people chatting near an alcove. Sophie was the center of attention, in the middle of telling an interesting anecdote, never giving up her joyous smile. Boom was half-sitting on the console beside her, fully engrossed in her stories while three other members of B-Squad were listening while filling out their investigative reports on touch-boards.

Kat couldn't help herself but eavesdrop for a moment.

"So when I went into Chief Celesto's office," Sophie said, "he did at _least _six double-takes between me and my résumé. I mean, he just couldn't believe my credentials first. He told me pointblank that he had trouble swallowing the idea of an '_inexperienced little girl having the ability to out-compute the best minds in Andromeda_' or something like that."

"Sounds typical," remarked Zee, her voice stark and decisive. She kept her shadowed cool coffee eyes on her touch-board, but she shot a wry smile at the other young B-Squad girl beside Sophie; Zee's curved lips creased her round cheeks that seemed to shed away several years off of her already youthful face. "I bet Celesto's the kind of guy who only puts girls in as receptionists or assistants. Hard to believe pigs like him still run a galaxy, eh Syd?"

"Oh, _totally_," the short and bubbly blonde answered in her typical babyish tone. Syd coiled a finger through her long golden curls, glancing at Zee. "Especially if the whole galaxy's like that. I wonder if they have any girl Red Rangers."

Sophie shook her head. "I don't know about the rest of Andromeda, but Theta Quadrant's initial personnel postings were predominately men. Only a handful of teams had women, to say nothing about wearing the red suit."

Syd briefly inspected the pink trim on her smoke-gray uniform, and then the yellow trim on Zee's. She smiled, wrinkling her small nose. "I'm not sure if red's our color anyway. It clashes with my precious baby blues… And Zee's hair."

Zee abandoned her touch-board and frowned. "What's wrong with my hair?"

Syd lightly fluffed Zee's cinnamon-esque ponytail, and ran a finger down her silky bangs. "Nothing's really _wrong _with it," she said with a soft mocking innocence. "It's just a little blah."

Zee pointed her stylus at Syd, smiling a little as Sophie giggled. "_Just a little blah, _huh?"

Syd went back to her report. "Sorry to give you the bad news."

"I don't know. I think A-Squad's captain pulled it off pretty well."

"Um, bad example, Zee," affable Bridge spoke up. "Remember? Her entire team got brainwashed, she kidnapped Commander Cruger... And uh, oh yes – she _almost_ kicked our collective rear ends just before Commander Cruger captured former-Emperor Gruumm."

Zee blinked. "So? What does any of _that _have to with looking good in a red suit?"

Bridge looked up, rustling a black-gloved finger under his pronounced nose. His tongue was visibly working behind his cheeks, looking towards the ceiling. He suddenly locked his ashen eyes to Zee. "Well. I, uh… I suppose it doesn't have _anything _to do with the misadventures of A-Squad."

Syd sighed. "For a second there, I thought you ears were going to smoke."

Bridge shook his head lightly. "No, no. Not this time," he murmured casually. "But speaking of smoky… I feel for some toast. How about you guys?"

"How about _not_," Zee retorted. She quickly noticed Sophie's puzzled furrow. "Don't ask. Trust me; you don't want to know."

Sophie nodded acceptingly, settling her stare at Bridge. She offered him a warm smile; it shrank a little when the young man turned his head in confusion, as if he though Sophie was looking at someone behind him.

"You're awfully quiet, Boom," Sophie said, giving him a sidelong glance.

Boom shrugged. "I just ah, like listening to you guys."

Zee threw him a cheeky smile. "Listening is good. It's not as creepy like watching somebody over their shoulder while they read." Zee felt a puff of air tickle her nape. She turned, suddenly startled when her nose almost touched Bridge's.

"Bridge!" she snapped.

Bridge quickly threaded his fingers through is short, somewhat unruly mahogany hair. He wiped a bit of the stiffener-gel on his chest, leaving a mild dark stain on the blue trim of his uniform.

"Eh, sorry," he whispered.

Sophie snickered, clearly taken with his antics.

"So you don't have any opinions, Boom," Sophie asked, trying to engage the shy young man. "No thoughts or insights on the rigors of being a Power Ranger?"

"I don't really have much to say. I mean, I worked hard to get here. And I just really like being green." He forced a quick laugh, then slinked back sheepishly.

Bridge nodded. "I remember when I was the Green Ranger. I liked it, too," he said with a thoughtful wisp. "But I think I like being blue a little better. _Although_, I guess there'll always be a piece of me that still liked it when I was green… Even though I'm blue… Green. Blue. Greenish blue."

"Bridge," Zee warned.

His gawk fell right down to his touch-board. "Sorry…" He cleared his throat. "Um, how do you spell 'allegedly' again?"

"Hello," Syd teased. "Spell check?"

"You call yourself a professional, huh?" Sophie arched off the alcove and went over to Bridge. "Here, let me show you a thing or two about spelling."

Even in the melancholy illumination, Bridge still couldn't hide his blush. "Thanks… I think."

Kat couldn't help but chuckle to herself. She remembered Syd and Bridge when they first arrived as cadets four years ago. Zee, two years after that. And after all this time with the harsh responsibilities of protecting the world – their core traits haven't changed. Syd was still the same fashionista-like little girl, though a lot less self-centered before she was a Ranger. Bridge was still the same enigmatic thicker, going off on his non-sequiters, yet still managing to make sense in the end – sometimes. Zee, still her take-charge, pragmatic self.

And Sophie… Still the tenacious one as she ever was. Almost two years ago, Sophie's tenacity brought the Delta Base Defense System to speed, fending off one of the more devastating attacks SPD faced in its operation. And without Sophie's determination, Kat knew she wouldn't be reminiscing fondly about anything right now. Funny enough, that same drive got Sophie into trouble, bringing Bridge to her rescue when no one else believed in her. The two had a little bond back then. She made it obvious that she regarded the strange young man as her personal hero because of his honor and empathy.

Kat knew them well; they were her family. The day that they part their separate ways… Well, she didn't ponder on that for too long.

She continued her perusing of the Command Center. The command room was often busy, with curriers and security officers bustling about the area, coming and going through the thick steel double-security-doors that occupied an entire side of the high tech chamber.

At the opposite end of the room sat the legendary Commander Cruger – the big-blue-dog, affectionately nicknamed by half of the SPD personnel. And that description was accurate, even though he found it irritating. His cerulean scale-like skin glistened around his curved cranial features, fading into a pallid shade of pearl along his supplely articulate muzzle. His impressive raised ear sails flickered slightly as he filtered out unwanted noises; his thick ebon braids stiffly snaked down his neck. Even hunched behind his steel computer-laden work desk, his venerable build and stature demanded the utmost respect from even the highest rank of Space Patrol Delta and its sister branches. Blinking his large recessed crystal-sapphire eyes, and wrinkling his moist black nose; he knew that the young B-Squad leader he was talking to never took him for granted.

Sky was partly sitting on Cruger's desk, going over his team's investigation findings and C-Squad's examination results with the commander. Sky also had an impressive presence, tall and ripe with a strong physique – not too unlike Cesar, when Kat thought about it. Sky had the kind of stern face that seemed almost awkward when he smiled. Sky tended to do just that quite often after he grew closer to his teammates, opening himself to them when they all took on Power Ranger responsibilities. But he always made it an effort to keep the rumors about his anal-retentive sternness alive and well among the lower-ranked personnel.

Kat sighed softly as she brought her attention back to the holo-console. She was just about to check on one of her new projects when she heard Commander Cruger clear his throat.

"Where _is_ C-Squad?" he asked. His deep resonance accentuated the impatience in his voice. "Did I hear you call for them, Kat? Or am I just getting old?"

Kat looked up, smiling at her long-time friend. "You heard me just fine, Doggy. In fact, I sent Ric after them about three minutes ago."

Cruger growled under his breath, sounding slightly bothered, but not all that angry. It still carried its weight through all the ears within the Command Center, though.

"And I'm supposed to grant them active status when they can't even handle a simple summons?" Cruger sat back in his grand chair. "Who's idea was that again?"

Sky lead back a little, lowering his baritone to a near-whisper, "That was _you_, sir."

Cruger scratched a little under his muzzle, winking at the young man. "Mmm… I was afraid you'd say that."

Kat smiled. "Doggy. Don't be _too _hard on them, now."

The commander hummed under his breath. "I've obviously not been hard enough. If we're going to post them on active duty, that changes today."

Sky nodded. "I agree completely. If we're going to send them off into other people's business, they need to learn some _real _accountability. And they're going to get it."

Kat raised her eyebrows lightly, instantly feeling a twinge of pity for what awaited C-Squad. A double-onslaught of Sky and Commander Cruger wouldn't be pretty. And sourly, she knew she probably had to play a part in it as well.

On cue, the C-Squad cadets rushed doggedly into the command room, whizzing pass Kat and the center computer station, and stopping at breathless attention directly in front of Cruger's desk after giving a hearty arm-pump salute.

"Doctor Manx summoned you over ten minutes ago," Cruger started. "What took you so long?"

Cesar caught his breath first, taking two strong steps forward. "Sir, our apologies. Nit – I mean, Azzy disappeared while we were en route. We wanted to keep the team together as per Doctor Manx's recommendation; so we took the initiative to locate him. Sir."

Cruger blinked twice. "And? Cadet Taggert is _where_?"

"He's, um…" Cesar and the rest of C-Squad looked around, surprised to notice that Azzy wasn't among them. "He's…"

"Right here!" Azzy said, deftly trotting into the Command Center. He stumbled a little near Kat in his gait. He pitted himself in the cadets' formation between Kayj and Lynx, taking up Cesar's gap.

Cesar threw Azzy a warning glare, encouraging the smaller man to force Lynx to the side and make room for Cesar's center spot.

As they all fumbled into formation, little pitter-patter of carbon-fiber feet bounced into the command room as a mechanized dog bounded his way at the foot of Cruger's desk.

The little robotic beast took a few steps towards Azzy before barking at the boy through its thin speakers. It reared up its hind end, poising its alabaster curvilinear body in a not-so-friendly manner. Its sharp ears rolled back; its ribbed tail flared up higher than the triangular handle accessory on its spine. Ruby lights flickered and flashed in random sequences along the stylized black display on its skull and foreface.

Azzy gave the thing a vengeful glare, though he knew there was no way to intimidate a programmed machine.

Kat brushed passed the cadets and kneeled before the robot dog. She patted its head and began to gently rub its back.

Ruby images of joyful closed eyes flashed on its faceplate; it growled with synthesized delight as it lowered its posture.

"Good boy, Ric," Kat cooed.

Commander Cruger never budged from his seat. "Do I even want to know what you were doing in the time you should have been here, Cadet Taggert?"

Azzy cleared his throat. "Uh, sir. Nature called… Sir."

Faint chuckles could be heard from the sides of the command room. But Kat, Cruger, and Sky didn't show any signs of amusement. And almost in unison, all three stood up, raising themselves to their full heights.

Cruger slowly walked around his desk, his steel-plated feet oddly making no sounds as he stepped between Kat and Sky, almost a head taller than the two of them. He delicately re-adjusted the jewel-encrusted rank bar on the right side of his chest, making sure it was parallel to the angled white-and-red trim of his charcoal robe. The shiny-dog crest on the other side of his chest, as well as the smaller ones on his shoulder shields, were spotless and gleaming. He always made sure every aspect of his attire was exactly detailed.

Kat clasped her hands behind her back, coldly leering at the cadets; Sky downed his touch-board on Cruger's desk and folded his arms, also wearing a look of superiority. Ric sat at their feet, completely motionless.

There was a moment of quietness that shrouded the Command Center, save for the whispering hums of the computer equipment. Cruger's emotions weren't always easily written on his face, but those who have served with him for some time knew when he wasn't pleased.

He eyed each of the cadets – each one of them recoiled ever so slightly from his piercing scrutiny. Cruger eventually settled his attention squarely back to Azzy.

"I was going to start with today's designated team leader," Cruger said, "but since you're in such a jocular mood, Cadet Taggert, we'll begin with _you_."

The dreaded debriefing was officially underway.

"Step forward, Cadet."

Azzy carefully obeyed, advancing two steps. He suddenly felt a great deal more vulnerable.

"Did 'nature call' while your team was in the middle of a serious confrontation, Cadet Taggert?"

Azzy kept his focus slightly out of Cruger's eyes. "No, sir."

"You weren't injured or incapacitated before your team engaged the target."

"No sir, I was not."

The commander took a step forward. His voiced raised a little. "Were you _ordered _to scout ahead of your team?"

"No, sir." Azzy tried to keep his voice equally as firm.

Sky threw one out. "Did you get lost or disoriented at any point during your assignment?"

"Uh, no, sir."

Cruger continued, "Did you _misinterpret _any outstanding orders that were given to you?"

Azzy worked his jaw. "No, sir, I did not."

"We're trying to give you an out, Cadet Taggert," Cruger said darkly. "But I'm running out of legitimate reasons for your abandonment of your team. Willful abandonment is inexcusable and unforgivable no matter the reason; and it's borderline treasonous! A court-martial offense!"

Azzy took in a shallow breath, suddenly overrun by the whole thing. He knew the commander wasn't going to be pleased. He expected another slap on the wrist, not a full-on interrogation.

Azzy tried to search for an explanation – one that didn't sound lame and selfish. "Well… I, um…"

"Be quiet!" Cruger barked.

Everybody, save for Kat and Sky, flinched hard.

"You will speak _only_ when I ask you a question, or otherwise grant your permission, Cadet Taggert. Do you understand?"

Azzy blinked a few times – the last two blinks were successful efforts to lock up a sudden welling of tears.

"Sir! Y-yes, sir!"

The other cadets were visibly rattled. Even Cesar frowned with resentment, bothered by the harsh tone being thrown at Azzy.

The commander's voice relented a little bit, but still carried with power. "I'm not at all impressed with your performances in the advanced practical, C-Squad." He began to pace in front of them. "One of you, for reasons I can't even begin to imagine, decided to disobey orders and operate as a rogue. A rogue no better than the very target you were sent in to capture."

Cruger passed his desk, raking up a touch-board and glancing at its bullet list.

"Cadet DuPuma; step forward," he demanded.

Lynx complied and leveled herself with Azzy, shaking a little less than him.

"Both of you brought extra equipment into the examination despite _explicit _instructions not to." He made sure his eyes locked with both of them. He noted Azzy's mild defiance, and Lynx's poorly hidden wide-eyed terror.

He quickly paced to Lynx. "Cadet DuPuma. State your reason for smuggling throwing weapons and combat knives into the simulation room."

Lynx shivered, willfully turning her fear into an act of pride. "Sir, I trained for a long time under the Earth art of ninjitsu, a lot longer than I've been a cadet at SPD. It's an old habit that I thought –"

"It's an old habit that should have been dealt with back in basic training," Cruger growled. "_We_ didn't teach you that habit, Cadet DuPuma. Using the reliance on your previous instructors as a crutch for your own _shortcomings_ . . . is not only insulting to me, but to the rest of your superiors and peers as well. I _will not _accept that as an excuse. Fall back in line, Cadet!"

Lynx jumped back into formation, taking a deep shuddering breath as she tried to regain her composure.

Cruger took a large step to Azzy, looming over the flushed boy. He pointed at the nunchaku still hanging from his belt. "Cadet Taggert, suspected _traitor _of SPD. What's _your_ excuse for disobeying yet _another _order?"

Azzy swallowed. "I, um…"

"Speak _up_, Cadet," Cruger spat. "My sensitive ears can only pick up so much."

"I knew the fight was going to be unfair," Azzy squeaked. "I – I wanted to make sure the fight would be fair."

"Really?" Cruger breathed. "So in other words, you didn't trust our intel about the situation. You _obviously _knew better than a well-trained intel officer, one who has been in recon for a lot longer than you've been in _school_. I had no idea you had the ability to discern recon data without actually _looking _at it, _Cadet _Taggert. Perhaps Lieutenant Carson isn't the only SPD officer with psychic abilities."

Bridge kept his concentration on his touch-board. He didn't quite like the idea of his genetic power to be used as such an example.

Azzy looked away –

"Cadet Taggert, please _look _at me when I'm addressing you. You can at least show _some _formrespect."

He did as he was told, though he lost his fight with the tear that fell down his cheek.

Commander Cruger paused for a moment. He hid it well, but he did not like the turn that his debriefing had taken. He felt a rush of guilt, but quickly set it aside. _No, these cadets haven't faced the real world yet, _he thought. _If I don't set them straight now, it would do more harm to them than the alternative._

Cesar's eyes tracked from Azzy to the commander, and back again. His fists balled unconsciously. He gritted his teeth; he steeped to Azzy's side. "Commander Cruger, I think you're being –"

Cruger immediately thrust his face towards Cesar, driving the younger one back. "_Step _back into formation, Cadet Trevalyn! Say another word without permission, and I'll have you discharged from the academy faster than you can say 'SPD emergency'!"

Cesar found himself back exactly where he stood before, and feeling quite emasculated in the process.

Cruger turned back to Azzy. He softened his tone a little, but not by much. "Cadet Taggert, _trust _is a key ideal when you operate under Space Patrol Delta. If we did not trust each other, we'd be second-guessing every decision. Arguing every point and counterpoint. It would be chaos. No law enforcement agency of any kind can operate like that. Ms. Fauster can tell you first hand that Space Patrol Theta operates on these same values – and _they're _in another galaxy."

Rain started to take a step forward, and then stopped herself. She fought for a moment before willing herself to follow through. "Sir, permission to speak."

The commander turned his head sharply in her direction. His pause was agonizing, making Rain think twice about her ambition. But in the end, he nodded to her. "Go ahead, Cadet Melbourne."

"I believe Azzy _was _thinking about the team," she said grimly. "We were going after a Power Ranger. And to capture him using only standard equipment… And then there was his element of surprise, and – "

"But as you said during your exam, your _team _wasn't supposed to be the ones surprised in that action" Cruger said. "There's no excuse for his actions. He made a grave mistake, and he will own up to it.

"His bringing weapons when told he didn't need them violated trust. After the A-Squad incident, trust is one thing we worked hard to reaffirm in my command. Remember, we are all _very _familiar with your fighting styles: Melbourne, your karate; DuPuma, your ninjitsu; Taggert, your jeet kun do; and so on. If you took the time to ponder over the events of this exercise, you'd realize that our mythical intel officer found a weapon for each one of you already inside the warehouse. Or have you forgotten about your makeshift kendo stick?" He moved over to Kayj. "Or _your _bo staff." Then to Cesar. "Or _your _batons."

He sighed. He looked back at Azzy; the boy had admirably stayed at attention as well as he could manage, refusing to break it to even dry his face.

"Cadet Taggert, you may step back into formation."

He quickly complied.

Cruger squared his sights on Rain, now. "Cadet Melbourne. Had you lead your team effectively, regardless of the shenanigans from a certain cadet, you would have had all you needed to pacify and capture _even _a Power Ranger."

Rain kept her gaze, not daring to look away. She knew she should have felt bad about what he just said; but oddly enough, she wasn't too hurt by it. She wasn't leadership material. She knew that already. She had other skills she was quite proud of.

"Your team isn't just _any _team," Cruger continued. "I wouldn't have sent you on a job if I didn't think you could do it. Why would _any _commander send his best and brightest into a situation where they would surely fail?"

He let that rhetorical question hang in the air as he inspected his touch-board again. "And while we're on you, Cadet Melbourne… Can you please tell me exactly how you found out about the breach point on Green Ranger's power suit?"

It took her a moment to realize what he was referring to.

Cruger nodded. "Yes, Cadet. We noticed. Towards the end of your examination, Doctor Manx traced the trajectory of your final shot – had it connected, it would have caused Officer Boom's suit to automatically power down."

Boom's head came up, suddenly dumfounded that he had missed that detail.

Kat spoke up. "The breach point is classified to the highest level. Only Commander Cruger, B-Squad, and myself knew about it. You've excelled in every area of marksmanship thus far. You shot down _all_ of Officer Boom's ringlet flash-bangs with ease. There's no mistaking what you were aiming for."

Rain's eyes darted between Cruger and Kat, suppressing a smile.

"Did you, or did you not somehow privy yourself into classified SPD files?" asked the commander.

"I did not break into any top-secret files, or anything of the sort, sir."

Cruger regarded her cautiously. "Explain."

A hint of a grin crept up on the corner of Rain's dark lips. "I just studied playbacks of past B-Squad engagements – just as we were instructed. I remember a few times when Lieutenant Carson was struck, and for some strange reason, his power suit powered down. This happened _nine_ times."

Cruger nodded. "Go on."

Her brows arched. "I observed the pattern, studied each incident thoroughly, and found the common element in all of them: the location of the strike. I memorized it, and tucked it away just in case I needed it."

"And it conveniently paid off," Sky said.

Rain didn't like his implication, even though he had legitimate reasons. But still, she met his challenge "Yes, Captain. It did."

Cruger hummed, resting his right hand under his muzzle. "Fair enough. Your observation skills are to be commended."

She turned her head slightly in Kayj's direction. She didn't want to turn too much as to draw attention from the commander, but she felt a sudden influx of regret. Yes, she pieced the puzzle of the suit's breach point together, but…

"Sir, permission to speak."

"You certainly are forthcoming today," Cruger muttered. "Granted."

Rain went ahead and fully turned to Kayj. "It was actually Kayj who picked up on the pattern. I just connected all the dots in the end."

Kayj gave her a respected smile and a slight nod. He had said nothing – and wouldn't have said anything, Rain knew. But as a team, credit had to be given appropriately.

Commander Cruger opened his mouth slightly, a bit of a smile creaking towards the back of his face. "I had a feeling Cadet M'Kayj was involved."

He turned to drop the touch-board on his desk. "Cadet, you may step back into formation."

Rain did so, her shoulders a bit lighter. However, she could still feel Azzy reeling from his verbal spanking.

Cruger folded his arms. "Cadets, your evaluation… Between Doctor Manx, Captain Tate, and myself, C-Squad receives a mission rating of sixty-five percent, and a secondary 'F' for failing your assignment."

The cadets didn't squirm, but their defeat still showed on their faces and in their postures.

"Yes, I'm disappointed, too." Cruger sighed. "It pains me to see such talent go to waste. The potential is not only _there_, but we've seen glimmers of it rise from each of you, in one form or another.

"Rain Melbourne, gifted markswoman with the tactical mind of a puzzle-solver. M'Kayj of Family Len-Karrak, observant pontificator and full of wisdom invaluable to your team. Cesar Trevalyn, strong in body and stronger in honor – " he sniffed " – and strongest in smell at the moment…"

That brought smiles to a lot of faces, and a blush from Cesar.

"Asimov Taggert, when you're not busy disobeying orders, you show an undeniable love for life, and are blessed with the purest bravery in every sense of the word. They're admirable qualities you should cling to; but don't let them cloud your judgment again."

The young boy nodded solemnly, taking in an involuntary sniff.

"Lynx DuPuma, always positive and assertive, steadfast in your beliefs of doing what's right."

Commander Cruger opened his arms. "Well, I can only talk so much before you start tuning me out. And instead of simply talking _louder_, I think I'll let Captain Tate brief you on the _real _reason I summoned you here."

The cadets shared their confusion with each other.

Cruger backed himself to his desk as Sky stepped forward.

Sky made eye contact with the cadets, his lucid blue eyes captivating them all. "Cadets. You've been inducted into C-Squad fourteen months ago. You've come a long way from the troubled green trainees introduced before then. However, you all still have an even _longer _way to go before you're given your morphers, because you're _still _green. Your simulated and conceptual training has plateaued, and you're getting complacent. And that's a dangerous thing."

Sky glanced over at his teammates, catching encouraging nods from each of them – Sophie included.

He continued, "For too long, B-Squad has had the sole responsibility of dealing with intergalactic threats on Earth; from petty alien thieves to full-blown Sol System invasions. Together, we were able to defeat and capture one of the most powerful forces in the known universe: former-Emperor Gruumm. But realistically, there's _always _somebody bigger out there in space; someone always ready to take advantage of any situation. The next confrontation we face might be bigger than we can handle; might be our last. The fight could be a year from now, or it could be tomorrow."

Sky caught flashes of concern from C-Squad – and some exaggerated fear from Bridge.

Sky kept his attention on the cadets. "We need to be prepared for _anything _the universe will throw at us. Our workload needs to be redistributed, and _you _need credible experience in the real world. And that's why Commander Cruger and myself will officially grant C-Squad active status, effective as of tomorrow."

The eyes of the cadets lit with complete surprise. Smiles were many from everyone in the command room. All except for Azzy.

"However, there _is _a catch," Sky stressed, "The five of you will be paired up with the five of _us_. At sixteen hundred hours tomorrow, we will test you on everything you've learned so far at SPD, and see if you have what it takes to hold the responsibilities of _real_ beings in your hands."

Cruger leaned forward. "If you don't want a repeat of today, you will need to change your attitudes right _now_."

Sky nodded. "We're stepping up expectations. So if you have too many days like this, you'll get to your last one very quickly. I'm sure Doctor Manx has reminded you that second chances are pretty rare out there in the field."

Sky glanced back at Cruger. "Anything else, Commander?"

"No, Captain. I think that's enough for one day."

"Very well, then. C-Squad, you are dismissed."

Sky returned their salute, watching them turn on their heels and file towards the exit.

"Oh, and Cadet Trevalyn," Cruger said.

Cesar stopped short of the doors and faced his commander. "Yes, Commander Cruger?"

"While we appreciate your dedication to staying in shape, when Doctor Manx tells you to hit the showers, please do so next time," he said, a hint of smugness rumbled in. "Your training can wait until _after _you debriefings."

Cesar was just about to roll his eyes, but he caught himself. "Yes, Commander." He nodded curtly, saluted again, and went on his way.

Ric barked. The mechanical dog hopped onto all fours and trotted after the young cadet.

The commander leaned back on his desk as Sophie and the B-Squad Rangers came up next to him.

Sky shook his head. "Sir, I didn't smell anything."

Cruger chuckled. "You're lucky your genetic powers don't include super-sensitive smell."

Sophie sighed. "I hope I'm not overstepping my boundaries, being my first day back and everything… But, that seemed a little rough in the beginning."

Zee shot her a wry grin. "Don't tell me you've forgotten about your D-Squad stint already. You had your fair shares of rough lectures. Your squad wasn't exactly the pick of the litter."

Sophie paused to consider that.

"Except for _you, _of course," Bridge said. "You were pretty much the entire squad put together with a little left over. Or, a _lot _left over. Two squads at least."

"If that's a compliment, then thanks," Sophie said, patting Bridge on the shoulder.

Kat rested her hand on Cruger's arm. "So what did you _really _think about C-Squad's test results, Doggy?"

"Honestly? I thought they were quite impressive, through and through."

"Even though they broke the rules?" asked Boom.

Cruger hummed. "Well, you know… I seem to remember a certain squad of Rangers who didn't always listen to directions, either." He whirled a finger encompassing the group. "Mindless drones tend to make poor judgment calls when they're out on their own. I'm actually glad to know that at least one of them has that freethinking mind. We keep it in check, but it's there."

"I get it, sir," Boom said. And he certainly could empathize. He had his own experiences of not quite following the SPD code. He faced the consequences of his actions, but held no regrets because of the positive results. "There'll always be times when we have to act with our hearts."

"Precisely," said the commander. "And in my experience, those usually hold the most rewarding outcomes."

"If you call scrubbing the fountain with a toothbrush _'rewarding'_" Sky joshed, remembering one of _his _punishments for breaking protocol.

That brought another chuckle from Cruger. "And that's also precisely why we need to teach them how to balance those decisions. There will always be a price."

"You think it worked, sir?" asked Syd. "Do you think they'll change overnight?"

"They were frightened out of their minds," Cruger said. "If something doesn't click by now, then I'm afraid I'm all out of tricks."

Bridge rubbed his chin. "I don't know about being scared out of their _minds_. I mean, they were all still _in _their minds by the end, obviously."

"_Obviously_," mocked Zee.

Kat gracefully wandered towards the center console. "Well, I guess tomorrow's test will tell."

"Indeed," Cruger agreed.

"Sophie," Kat called. "Are you ready to go over the status of my Delta Runners?"

The girl nodded. "Of course. That's why I'm here."

_SPD_

"Guys, wait up," Cesar hollered into the sterile corridor. He spotted the rest of his group nearing the junction to the crew quarters area.

As he approached, he had fully expected Azzy to hit him with a _smelly _comment of some sort. But the boy said nothing. Lynx was hugging his side, sharing his frustrations. And Azzy seemed very introverted. Cesar didn't know whether that was a good thing or not.

He gave Azzy a gentle nudge on the shoulder. "Hey, mate. Don't sweat what was said back there. He was… He was wrong for being so hard."

Azzy looked up at Cesar, suspicion in his brandy eyes. "Why do you even care?"

Cesar was taken aback. "Don't worry yourself, Nitwit. I _don't_. However, we need to be at the top of our game tomorrow. It's going to be bloody make-or-break for us, and the last thing we need is for _you _to be sulking about."

He sighed, looking away. "Whatever."

"Azzy, don't be like that," Lynx soothed. "When was the last time Cesar tried to be nice?"

"When he wants something," Azzy mumbled.

Cesar rolled his eyes. "Oh, charming."

"Knock it off, guys," Rain said. "Cesar's right. This _is _make-or-break time. If we prove we have what it takes – "

" – _When_," Lynx corrected. "_When _we prove. We're gonna knock 'em for a loop."

Rain nodded with a grin. "Right. _When _we kick some serious B-Squad butt, we'll finally be allowed to go out into the world and make a difference."

"The written and oral portions, I'm confident," Kayj said. "But as far as the combat tests are concerned… Not to be a pessimist, but they _do _have special powers. We do not."

Rain nodded. "It'll be a challenge, no doubt."

Lynx huffed. "Yeah, they have powers. Whoo-hoo, big deal. You heard the commander – _we _don't need superpowers."

"Besides," Cesar said, "Officer Boom doesn't have any. So whoever's paired with him shouldn't have much of a problem."

Rain leaned against the wall in thought. "Well tonight, we need to figure out a way to counter their powers. Force fields, psyonic premonitions, cloning, and elemental assimilation. There are ways around _all _of them, and we can figure out some tactics to catch them off guard."

"Hmm…" Kayj stroked a thick eyebrow. "On the other side of this, what makes us believe they'll use their powers to begin with?"

Rain shrugged. "They might not, but before a battle, you need to prepare for _everything_. Something I just learned today." She winked at Azzy.

He just looked away, still bothered by what had happened.

They heard the patter of little feet approach, followed by faint mechanical servos revving up and down. When they heard the bark, they knew what it was.

"Great," Azzy said. "Here comes the mechanical mutt."

Lynx, still holding onto Azzy, patted him on the chest. "Oh, you stop."

Kayj bent down to greet Ric with soft rubs to the head. The canine automaton barked happily at him, shifting to a sitting position as its sharp ears wiggled with delight. "I'm still amazed he can feel someone touching him. So artificial, yet so lifelike."

Rain cupped her hands together. "All right. We've got a half-hour 'til chemistry and applied physics. After phys ed, we'll _shower,_" she said towards Cesar, "and discuss our plans for tomorrow. A cram session before lights-out wouldn't be a bad idea, either."

Cesar's head came up. "Hold on a moment. Who made _you_ the leader?"

She shrugged. "Doctor Manx said I was the leader today. Why, do _you _want to lead us, oh _great _one?"

He blinked. "Well, I…"

Kayj's broad brows flashed. "Cesar, quickly, how do you counteract a flat elliptical force field that's just been generated between you and your target?"

Cesar blinked. "What, you mean like, right _now_?"

"Yes."

"Well, I… I need a bit of time to think about that and –"

"Rain?" Kayj said, shooting her a look.

"Back off, and roll under the point of origin," she said simply.

Lynx beamed. "All in favor of keeping Rain as the leader?" She raised her hand, as did Kayj and Azzy.

"Democracy at its finest," Kayj whispered.

Cesar relented a sigh. "Fine." He pushed passed all of them in a huff. "See you all in class."

Rain didn't look directly at him as he passed, though she couldn't hide her smile from him, either.

Ric walked to Azzy's front, sitting in front of him with a curious tilt of his head.

"What are _you _looking at?" Azzy growled.

Ric barked once, its face blank.

"He _loves _you," Lynx swooned. "He's been following you around all year."

Azzy broke Lynx's grasp and strode towards the crew quarters hallway. "I hate dogs. 'Specially fake ones."

Ric let out a little moan as he watched Azzy disappear.

"He didn't really mean that," Lynx told Ric, scratching under his hard muzzle. "He _wuves _doggies. He just in a bad mood today."

Little red hearts fluttered over Ric's faceplate.

Rain glanced at both of her teammates. "We've got some work to do. Between today and tomorrow, we've got to fix our team and become the tightest fighting force this planet has ever seen."


End file.
